From the Ashes
by twm2002
Summary: Sequel to 'A Phoenix Dies'. Terrorism has struck at the heart of Mandalore and the Houses and Clans are baffled. They can't tell who's behind it, and Clan Wren and House Kryze take it upon themselves to request Jedi. The tension makes Ezra's mission difficult, but the most agonizing aspect is when he has to interact with the most painful part of his past.
1. Chapter 1

**I do apologize for the wait on the sequel. Honestly, it was going to be put off for a while longer since I'm writing a couple other things too, but this is my most commented on story and I had the idea in my head anyways. Updates may be slow at first, so bear with me. This is the story I was looking forward to write and the first one got me here.**

 _Mandalore, three years after the main events of 'A Phoenix Dies'_

"Order, we must have order! Houses and clans be silent!" bellowed the meeting overseer to the assembly before him. Sabine was honestly surprised she had heard him over the cacophony surrounding the halfmoon room that sat the heads of the clans of Mandalore. After setting aside her painting to finish at a later time the twenty-two-year-old made her way to the meeting place her ancestors used to meet at in times of crisis. Her parents had asked her and her brother to help decide a course of action for their clan, possibly the others as well. Uniting the clans and houses may prove impossible, but at the very least she hoped that they would be able to form alliances that could take action on the current struggle.

One man who sat at the far end of the crescent of seats stood then banged his fist on the table, "allowing these attacks to continue is simply preposterous! All efforts at investigation have proven fruitless or full of dead ends and they persist because of our lack of unity. It's time that we pool our resources to combat these threats as one."

"Clan Saxon has been the main target for four of the six explosions on Mandalore. Don't paint this as a larger problem than that. Maybe the gods have finally given you recompense for collaborating with offworlders."

"And Clan Vizla is no better!" shouted a third armored woman from behind Sabine. The woman stood with fire in her eyes as they bore into the clan who once collaborated with the Sith and who overthrew Duchess Satine. Sabine turned her head towards the head of House Kryze who simply stood placid though it wouldn't astound her if the Duchess' sister's blood boiled.

"Silence!" the overseer hollered into his microphone which caused the noise to die down. Furious gazes were still held and accusatory stares continued to hang heavily over the air. "We are not here to place blame, but to seek answers. These attacks by the 'Shadow' have affected everyone in this room not just one clan or house. Remember that before you assault another warrior. Now, does anyone have anything to offer this assembly?"

"You know" her brother said leaning over to her, "for a group that was invited to be here together to seek answers we haven't done much."

Sabine scrunched her face like she had bitten something sour, "you expected something different? This is simply an excuse to throw dirt on one another. If we really wanted to learn about the attacks then we should have met with House Kryze to figure it out."

"Since we're the only two clans capable of holding our tongues then I'd say you're right" Tristan whispered back to her. "Speaking of" he said then motioned with his head. Sabine looked over to see the only person in the room who everyone could respect and possibly even like.

"House Kryze does" Bo-Katan said. No one looked away from Satine's sister who reached for a datapad from her nephew which he readily gave to her. "Since no other houses or clans are willing to work together we have compiled all of the information and evidence that has been obtained by the individual sects. From what we've been able to gather there have been over fifteen bombings at several different sites on Mandalore itself. Each time investigators found traces of nitrogen, cesium, and a type of alloy we aren't familiar with. These weapons are not made by amateurs. The bombs are made for maximum destruction and placed in high population areas."

"Were there any fragmentations in the bombs?" Ursa asked.

"Not that we found, which is perplexing to say the least. That was one of the reasons the assembly. None of what we've obtained has explained anything about the attacks other than the fact that they seem random and that they've been committed by this shadow figure who may or may not have followers. To be frank, we're completely in the dark."

Sabine waited until others started to speak then leaned over to whisper in her Mother's ear, "that alloy could be the key. One piece of misunderstood evidence could lead to plenty of the puzzle being revealed."

"You heard Lady Kryze" Ursa said back to her, "we haven't been able to determine what's in it. I don't think anyone would be willing to contribute their resources for the greater good. These clans are far too mistrusting and suspect of one another to help even if it means fighting a common threat."

"Perhaps we could figure something out" Sabine offered. Her Mother huffed at another argument that broke out between the clans then turned to face her daughter with full attention. "We know Lady Kryze enough to offer our resources to help. Another one or two houses should be more than enough to create networks that can find out what that alloy is."

"Yes that may work…" Ursa told her as she stared at the chair in front of them. The clan leader squinted her eyes and tapped her finger on her leg while she thought then turned back to Sabine when she made up her mind, "though I think there's a better way and it involves you. I will set up a meeting with Bo-Katan after this session, I need you to be there with me to help convince her."

She may have nodded in response to her Mother, but as Sabine sat back against her seat she felt uneasy. This was the first time in three years she felt comfortable enough to place herself in the presence of her people. In the wake of her incident she felt pathetic and lacked any self-confidence. That choice haunted her every day from sunrise to sunset and it never gave her a minute to breathe. Sobriety only made the feeling so much worse though Sabine told herself that living with that regret had to be better than finding solace in medication. Her family, perfect they may have been, weren't enough to make her comfortable with herself.

Now she was expected in the presence of the most respected woman on Mandalore, the woman who would no doubt become the head-of-state when the planet became peaceful once more. She wasn't worthy, she didn't deserve to be in Bo-Katan's presence. Their first meeting was nearly marred by Sabine's choice to name her weapon after the Duchess, and while she did make up for it she didn't deserve the honor. Whatever Ursa's plan was Sabine didn't feel like she should have a part in it. All of a sudden she wanted to return to her room where her paintings of her friends could keep her company.

A warm touch snapped Sabine from the troubling thoughts in her mind. Her brown eyes looked down to see her Mother's had resting on her own that were gripping the seat's armrests tight enough that they could snap. The touch reminded her of times when she had been a child growing up, it was Ursa's silent way of giving her all of the strength she would need. At times it could give her the power to take on all of the warriors her age that she trained with, now Sabine needed it to keep her from running away. Pathetic indeed.

. . .

As she expected, the 'Congress of Mandalore' had been an abysmal failure. Aside from Bo-Katan's divulgence of information there had been nothing gained from the session. On the contrary, several of the houses made oaths to never be in the same room as one another, so it was worse than before. While most of the delegations left the building her Mother had made her way to the ill-tempered head of House Kryze to set up a meeting, which the red-head agreed to at once. Further details weren't shared, but the two women from Clan Wren would be meeting with the unofficial leader of her people.

Dinnertime had passed far too quickly and she barely ate a thing. Anytime she picked up her fork Sabine's hand began to tremble while her conscience constantly berated her unworthiness. Pushing around her food should have been innocent enough, yet it just brought back memories of what she had done to her other family. It reminded her of how far she had fallen.

"Sabine, are you alright?" Ursa's voice said to her.

She looked at the elder woman sitting to her left. Ursa's brown eyes bore concern and it just made her feel worse. Her actual family had seen her broken nearly beyond repair, now anytime she lost herself in her thoughts they became worried that Sabine would spiral again. The first few weeks had seen plenty of that which meant she really couldn't blame them. However, each time they gave her that look guilt just came pouring into her along with the reminder of why she felt that way.

"I'm fine" she responded.

"You're a poor liar, my daughter" Ursa said with a sigh.

Sabine leaned back into her dark green chair then stared at the Kryze coat of arms that hung on the wall of Bo-Katan's longhouse. "I'm grateful that you asked me to come here with you, but I know that I shouldn't be right here right now. Being in the presence of others is much harder than it's ever been. To be honest, Mother I don't deserve to be anywhere but at home."

"You've been there for years and only left to walk around the lake. Staying there any longer will harm your health more than it already has. Having you home has made me truly appreciate you as a person, even with your…health problems. Regret is the first sign that you've matured and learned from what you did. The next step is to right those wrongs which involves you being out of your comfort zone."

"That means seeing people I can't face, Mother" Sabine told her.

Doors to the longhouse swung open revealing a fully armored Bo-Katan who sported a strong scowl. Ursa stood along with her daughter, but she whispered, "that will have to change very quickly." The two Wren women bowed, a gesture that was met by Bo and they sat down right afterwards.

"Thank you for agreeing to this meeting" Ursa stated thus beginning the conversation. "After today's missteps I was afraid that no progress would be made to find out who has been behind these attacks."

"Unfortunately, no progress _has_ been made" Bo-Katan said firmly. Sabine watched her pull out the drawer in the coffee table that lay between the three seats then pulled out three shot glasses along with a bottle of liquor. "This is desperately needed after the disaster at the assembly. A hard drink seems only right" she said pouring them drinks.

Sabine stared at the mahogany-colored liquid suspiciously. No vices were allowed, that was her parent's rule and one she lived by. No drinks, death sticks, medication, or…comfort from men – a thought that made her want to throw up. She noticed an odd look from the head of House Kryze when she didn't throw the drink back like the other two, but she explained, "I mean no disrespect, but I've given an oath to not consume alcohol."

"That is rather strange, but I take no disrespect Sabine Wren" Bo said then tossed the drink back herself. "Excuse my indulgence, today just wasn't what I'd been hoping for. There was so much promise this morning only to fall so far. It seems my sister's irrational optimism has found me."

"There are worse things in the world, Lady Kryze" Ursa said leaning forward on her knees.

"I suppose there are" she agreed. "Your words are appreciated Lady Wren, but that clearly isn't the reason you came here. When we spoke earlier you told me that you had an idea on how to further investigate these attacks against Mandalore. I'm all ears to hear your proposition."

"During your time speaking to the clans of Mandalore you spoke of evidence that we could and couldn't determine. Knowing the components of the bombs are a beginning, but the alloy you spoke of is of critical importance. If we knew where it came from or what it was made out of then we could find out who is funding these terrorists, where their resources are coming from, and what their capabilities are. That alloy is the keystone that can solve it all."

"Seemingly rational logic. I can agree, though we lack the resources to look into it any further. We have no more facilities here on Mandalore that are capable of detecting what it's made of. Either they lack the funds, manpower, or were destroyed when the last Imperial traitors left into the depths of the galaxy. Those vile conspirators caused such destruction upon their leave that we have no choice but to put the rebuild efforts first, and we're only months into the project. It will take some time until we're able to reach the labs and will be longer until they're capable of taking on such a task."

Ursa nodded slowly, "I completely agree and understand. We must put the rebuild as our first priority. However, there is still a way that we can research the alloy without diverting funds." Listening to those words made Sabine incredibly uncomfortable.

Surely her Mother didn't bring her to this place simply to volunteer her to find out the composition of some metal. That would place so much pressure upon her shoulders; everyone would be looking to her for answers that Sabine wasn't ready to look for. Even if she thought herself capable of fulfilling that task there weren't enough materials in her home to help her. No, she couldn't do it, she wasn't good enough to try it. Sabine's breathing came quickly and short, the room began to spiral around her making her dizzy. Ursa couldn't be doing this, not now. She nearly tasted bile when Bo-Katan could her heard over her spiraling mind, "you mean to look for help?"

"I do" Ursa confirmed "but not from Mandalore."

Bo-Katan looked confused for a moment as she thought about the possible places that had both the capability and the willingness to help them. Sudden as a bee's sting it came to her, "you mean the New Republic?"

"No" Sabine breathed out.

"Indeed, Lady Kryze. Not only are they capable, but we've heard their promises to help those in need. Any systems who have been affected by the Empire's ruinous retreat and who have suffered under the Imperial yolk shall have assistance in their most immediate endeavor. It's what my family and I have heard from the nightly transmissions. From what I can tell, Prime Minister Mothma seems genuine in her extension of help."

This couldn't be happening, it had to be a dream! Sabine's gut told her where this meeting was headed, but she didn't want to believe it. This was so wrong; her Mother _knew_ she wasn't ready for this.

"I would doubt that their hastily assembled Council of Governors would be willing to help us" Bo told her forthright. The woman leaned back in her chair then folded her arms over her chest to further digest the offer. "The Empire still has pockets of resistance that remain their top priority. There must be thousands of systems begging on their hands and knees to them in search of help. I doubt that we would even be able to speak to them. From what I've heard there are so many other systems who are far more chaotic than our own."

"Perhaps I should have been more specific. The Jedi Order is whom I wish to speak with as a matter of fact. Their reputation as miracle workers and problem solvers have reached even our ears on Krownest. No task seems too big even for them and this is an issue they can't simply push away. We three have worked with two of its members before and, forgive me if I'm being presumptuous, but I believe you've met with the Grand Master himself, Lady Kryze."

"That is true. I've worked with several Jedi in the past who have given me reason to trust them. If I'm not mistaken, your daughter brought one of them with her on our mission to destroy the Empire's despicable weapon. Grand Master Kenobi on the other hand…we met during the Clone War under unfortunate circumstances, but I have a certain respect for him. No one can forget meeting someone during that time."

"Therefore, I propose that we contact them together. Both of us have connections within the Order that can serve us well during this investigation. We can pool together our efforts to solve this crime alongside the Jedi Knights they send us" Ursa said confidently leaning back in her seat.

Sabine nearly threw up on the spot from the anxiety welling in her stomach. Memories she could normally acknowledge held her heart in their unrelenting grip; yelling at Hera until the woman cried, Ezra's death and funeral, the drugs, having him come back to them only to find a broken home, Leia's conversation with her, Anakin's advice, and worst of all the look on Ezra's face when he found what she wanted him to find. She will _never_ forget how it looked when she shattered his heart. How she could have a soul after that is beyond her, maybe she just didn't. There were times she let it all out, crying into her pillow when her heart crumpled under the anguish of losing her family. It killed her inside at night, gave her a break during most days, then suffocated her at night. It was all Sabine's fault, all of it.

Her eyes glazed over when she remembered her dream about life after the war. The _Ghost_ crew were all celebrating and Ezra had been waiting just for her like he wouldn't be able to start without her. Nights would come when that dream teased her again of the life she wouldn't have a chance to live. The Empire was tumbling and she wouldn't be able to see it, she could never earn that privilege. Sabine knew that she could never live up to her actions, but somehow seeing what could have been standing right in front of her made her body heavy with agony. Seeing Ezra stand in front of her knowing what she had done had Sabine wishing she could take it back, take _every second_ back.

"Well, Lady Wren" Bo-Katan said thoughtfully, "it wouldn't hurt to try. The Jedi may be more than likely to help us after seeing three familiar faces, so I am inclined to agree to your proposal. The New Republic itself may be too busy, but let's hope that old acquaintances are more receptive to our plight. This will not go over well with the other clans, but they had their chance to assist us. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"I couldn't agree more, Lady Kryze" Ursa said with a sideways glance to her daughter. She looked on with a mournful look in her eyes when the familiar sight off Sabine's glazed over eyes and far off stare came to her. "Desperate measures indeed."

 **Sidenote: did anyone pick up on the fact that 'A Phoenix Dies' wasn't actually referring to Ezra, but Sabine and the Ghost Crew as a whole? I love double meanings so I use them a lot.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I was going to do this anyway, but randomturd supported it, there are going to be original characters in this too in order to expand the story and add drama – my main goal. As for the people looking for a pairing in this I'll just leave that in the air, because if you know the ending it doesn't add much to the story in my opinion, so I will keep that to myself for now. Anyway, glad people liked the first chapter! Don't feel like you have to come to my defense either if some people don't like how things are turning out. I definitely appreciate the support, but nothing is really going to drastically alter the stories since this is really just a hobby and I'm just rolling with what I've got. Maybe someday I'll publish something real, for now it's just for fun. Enjoy!**

 _Coruscant_

From his corner booth in the nightclub Ezra could see everything. Flashing lights of an assortment of colors didn't make it very easy for him though. Music pummeled his ears from the speakers that were several feet from him and the only thing keeping him from going deaf was the fact that they faced away from him. Others weren't so lucky, however in the past year he'd come to know the Duros man who owned the place and since Ezra was a regular he got his own private booth. Being a hero of the Rebellion and one of the Jedi Order's council members definitely didn't hurt his chance of being secluded though.

He nursed his drink as he watched the bodies of young adults of all species sway to the music. All looked so carefree, lost in the heat of the moment. Ezra spotted one couple particularly close to him then watched as the girl, a Mirialan with long black hair, lost herself in the arms of a male Togrutan. They danced her back to his front and the man allowed his hands to wander all from her waist down, she wasn't much different with her own. He smirked since he already knew the answer, but he decided to check what they were feeling. The couple were drowning in lust just as he thought.

"Typical" he said though it was lost in the blaring music. Once the Rebellion had liberated Coruscant two years prior he found himself exploring the depths of the city-planet. Down where he was the Empire's tendrils never bothered to reach for one reason or another and it seemed that the Republic wasn't much different. The lower levels allowed him to find an escape that he truly enjoyed. Occasionally, he would dance with a particularly attractive woman and there were times he'd brought along a friend – his own padawan or Luke being the two who had been most frequent. Tonight though he felt like going by himself.

Now that the war was all but over Ezra was on the capital more often than not. Master Kenobi preferred having the council together in person to decide the foundations of the new Jedi Order. Since they had been able to retake the old temple during the initial invasion the two surviving members of the old order finally took it upon themselves to begin the hunt for Jedi prospects and while he was happy to help he did miss the adventure of the Rebellion.

Current missions typically consisted of running errands for the new government, acting as a supreme police force, or hunting down Force sensitives that may want to join the Jedi. Under Mon Mothma and the leadership of Obi-Wan their numbers had swollen to around fifty; even after two years of existence there was still much ground to cover. He didn't exactly blame parents who were hesitant to leave their lives behind so their children could train or so they themselves could be taught - Ezra doubted he'd be willing to give in so easily. However, there was still much to be satisfied with, and there was still plenty of time for growth.

Ezra finished the last of his spirit and winced as the dry liquid slid down his throat. He set the glass down on the black table top and brought his head up to crowd watch when he noticed a young woman staring back at him from across the room. She wore her hair up in a bun that was far too elegant for a nightclub like _The Barrel_ , but he was ensnared nonetheless. Whether it was her stark white hair that became tinted in the light or her light purple eyes Ezra couldn't say, but he had given her a confident grin as well as a slight wink anyway. The blush that came to her pale skin made the gesture worth it.

The pale-skinned beauty turned to her friend then gestured to Ezra. From afar he watched the exchange and became encapsulated by the small argument or discussion that they were having. He reached out to feel their emotions then his smile grew wide. The girl was nervous and her friend, who was certainly just as stunning with her incredibly tan skin and golden eyes, felt excited. The friend looked towards him then pushed the girl with white hair in his direction. After a quick stumble the girl flushed but gained her composure and cursed out her friend over the loud music when she moved his way.

If there was anything that he had learned from the Skywalkers it was to have manners. He moved out from the booth, straightened his black jacket and black pants then flashed a warm expression toward his guest. When she cleared the dance floor he ran his hands through his lengthy dark blue hair which seemed to catch her attention. He'd come to this place so many times he knew exactly what moves to pull and what would work for him.

Her eyes were beautiful, the same color as the lilacs he would buy for Hera on her birthday. Ezra found himself ensnared at her spell on him. There were many things that he found attractive, but perhaps his weakness was any shade of purple. She began to blush when she noticed his stare and she pushed a stray strand of snow white hair behind her ear.

"Sorry for staring" he told her, "but you're absolutely radiant." The girl's eyes grew wide and her cheeks seems to go pink with heat. She brought her head up to face him, searching his blue eyes, but she never looked away from him. Obviously a good sign.

Her thick accent surprised him, "you're just saying kind things. Nobody else has seemed to think so."

Self-consciousness always wore down his aura of arrogance, replacing it with sympathy. He knew what it was like to feel that way, to know that you're not appreciated. This girl had no reason in the galaxy to be nervous, and with his cockiness fading Ezra wanted her to know that. After knowing what it was like to feel that something was wrong with yourself he never wanted anyone else to feel that way.

"I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a liar Miss. Men have a strange way of showing their appreciation for elegance and grace, both of which you have plenty of. It was only a matter of time before one of the single men in this place approached you because you're too much to ignore – in a good way of course. I'm just glad I was the first one."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, a good sign that she was feeling comfortable. "You didn't approach me, I had to come to you."

"Well, I winked to you and your friend had to get you to come talk to me" he said with mirth. "My name is Ezra, it's nice to meet you."

"Cila, and likewise" she said shaking his outstretched hand.

"I like that name quite a bit. Would you like to share a drink or talk, Cila?"

"Umm…alright" Cila said nervously. She flattened her tight blue dress to her legs then slid into the booth along with him. The way her hands fiddled with one another made Ezra wonder if this was her first time in a place like this. Any lingering sense of libido fell to the wayside and he decided to play the part of himself, which was rare for him in the lower levels.

Small talk typically made people more at ease, so he decided to try it on his new acquaintance, "if you don't mind my asking, how come you decided to come here, Cila? From what I can tell this doesn't really seem like your type of place."

Cila caught his eyes for a moment before darting her eyes to her hands in front of her. The girl's fingers danced with one another and she bit her lip timidly. Inwardly he chastised himself for his lack of filter, outwardly he apologized, "I'm sorry if that was straightforward. Not exactly the greatest first impression."

"No" she said cutting him off, "you're right. My friend, convinced me to come here to have fun, though I'm not sure what she meant by that. From the minute I walked in through the door I've felt uncomfortable and out of place." Cila sighed then placed her chin on her hand as she looked downward.

"You are out of place, but not for the reason you think" he replied thus bringing her eyes upward to his face. "My first impression of you is that you're sophisticated and far too dignified for a place like this. You look so exquisite and that's not exactly what I would associate with a club."

"That's…very sweet of you to say, Ezra" Cila said hiding a smile. "How you got that from looking at me from across the room I'm not sure, but it's nice to hear. Why did you decide to come here?"

Ezra felt his commlink vibrate for the sixth time that night, but once again he ignored it. Business could wait until he left. "I'm sort of a regular here, it's my escape from working on the uppermost levels."

"Is that so? I've always wanted to visit the surface" her voice trailed off towards the end, which attracted his attention. Poverty ran rampant down there leaving many people in terrible situations including health hazards as well as lives without ever seeing sunlight. Ezra wondered if that was true for her.

He shrugged, "it's not all that different from down here. Buildings look more or less the same, the beings are probably a little more patronizing, but it's not so great."

"To those who see sunlight all the time probably, but to me it sounds like a Utopia. I've been saving up since I was a child to see it just once. For now, I'm still quite a ways off, but I still hold out hope that one day it'll happen." Cila looked wistful as she spoke, her mind obviously lost in her childhood dream. She was right, he did take sunlight for granted while those in the bowels of Coruscant lived my artificial light. It was so simple to him, but to Cila and others simple pleasures like the sun or spaceflight were far off fantasies.

Hoping that a change in subject may get her mind off of her troubles he asked, "what do you do for fun if going out to nightclubs isn't your type of thing?"

"I…uh…it's childish" she stammered and looked away yet again.

He chuckled lightly at her nervousness, it was an endearing trait. Most of the time people down here were lustful, tossing around suggesting glances on a whim. To see someone lacking those characteristics but full of a certain type of innocence was a good type of difference. "I won't judge you" he told her.

"I don't know…" Cila said. She twirled her hair around her index finger, fighting the internal conflict of whether or not to tell him. Just when he was about to tell her that she didn't have to say anything he heard quietly, "I like to make plays with my friends."

"Really, you make plays?" he asked her with interest. She looked like she wanted to cave in on herself with anxiousness and he felt incredibly empathetic when she slumped into her seat. Knowing Cila could get the wrong idea he say honestly, "that sounds like plenty of fun. I've never been to a play though they've always sounded enjoyable to me. That's a talent that I don't think I would ever be able to have."

She held her slumped posture, "it's nothing really and it's childish. I'm almost twenty, too."

"So? I'm twenty right now, and I do plenty of childish things. Just this morning my Mom wouldn't let me out of my apartment without cleaning up a mess in my room. If you think plays are childish then I don't even know what that's called."

Cila bit down on the joint of her left index finger to suppress her laughter. He wasn't inherently hilarious, but he could normally rouse someone enough to have them giggle like her. Howling laughter was great, however Ezra enjoyed that talent. There was something about that type of laugh that made it so much better.

"Maybe you are just a little bit more childish than I am" she said trying to hide her smile.

"See? You have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm sure I could think of more to make you feel much better about what yourself."

"I'm starting to think that I'm sure of that too."

He was just going to tell her another story when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder that told him that his time away was done. Ezra turned his head to his right and saw the familiar yellow and black tattooed face of his Zabrak padawan fully dressed in his Jedi robes. No tact as per usual with Baysa.

Baysa spoke in his gritty, deep voice "Master, you're needed by the council immediately."

"Master?" Cila asked looking between him and his student.

"Yeah…I'm a Jedi. Duty calls apparently" he said begrudgingly, "I wish that I could stay to talk to you more, Cila."

"Me too" she said as the joy faded to disappointment.

Reaching into his pocket Ezra pulled out the rest of his credits then took her soft hand to place them in her palm. Cila's eyes widened when she saw the amount of money he had just given her. When the purple eyes that captured his attention looked upward in search of an explanation he just let the corners up his mouth lift upwards. "If you want to talk any more then come visit me at the temple. Ask for me and I'll be sure to come make time to show you around the surface. There should be enough there for you to come at least a couple times, but if you need to spend it elsewhere then go ahead. I'm here every so often, so if you're around try to look for me."

"Th – thank you, Ezra."

He stood from the booth and gave her a deep bow that brought his hair slightly over his eyes. "I hope we meet again" he told her then started to make his way to the exit of the nightclub with Baysa. Ezra didn't bother trying to hide his irritation from his student, not that the boy couldn't have felt it through their bond anyway. Tonight he wanted to get away and normally he wouldn't have minded the interruption, but things were going well with the shy girl.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, Master" Baysa told him when they stepped out into the street. The padawan motioned with his head towards their right where the speeder he piloted down sat. Ezra realized it must have indeed been urgent for Baysa to not come down on foot as they were accustomed to.

"I'm sure you were doing as was requested of you, so I don't blame you at all. I have to say, I'm glad they sent you instead of anyone else."

"I certainly covered you this time, Ezra. The moment that the message came in Master Skywalker called for a council meeting, but when they couldn't reach you I was called in. Boy, the moment I said 'lower levels' Master Skywalker was livid as was Master Agnew, except Leia hid it well. They both were chomping at the bit to come get you, however Master Kenobi allowed me to come get you after I volunteered."

As they came upon the twin-engine vehicle Ezra scoffed, "yeah, that doesn't surprise me. I'm thankful that you were the one to take that up though. Better you than Leia, Hera, or Chloe."

"Luckily, Master Kenobi has enough tact not to send the girl who loves you or the girl who did love you. Had they seen who you were talking to tonight either may have snapped" Baysa told him with the gritty, guttural laugh that was typical of the Zabrak teenager.

Ezra sighted then watched the depths of Coruscant fade from view. "Chloe loved me in one way, and Leia does in another. I don't think there's anymore to it than that. Besides, I'm not cut out for that."

After scoffing the padawan told him, "think what you want, Ezra but we both know everything you said is wrong. I may not know why you think yourself incapable of loving romantically, but deep down there's a man in there waiting for that right woman. He'll be found eventually."

The Jedi Knight turned to face his student with disbelief all on his features. "That was oddly poetic and sappy, Baysa. I didn't know you had it in you." The Zabrak shrugged then continued to pilot them both to the surface of Coruscant and towards the mission that awaited them.

. . .

Ezra stepped into the elevator that would take them to the historic chambers of the Jedi Council. Over the course of the war he found himself enthralled by the tales told to him by Kanan, Anakin, and Obi-Wan. Members of the old council: Yoda, Luminara, Windu, Shaak-Ti, they all became known to him through their heroic sacrifices to save the two remaining members and the Skywalker family. After some time he even began to see Discipulus less as the menace and more as a tragic figure who sold herself to save those she loved. In his eyes, the old Jedi were martyrs, heroes to be preserved for eternity.

The elevator opened and he steeled his resolve for the inevitable onslaught of dirty looks and anger from his friends. On the other side of the enormous doors was his family as well as other Jedi whom he considered friends – with the exception of his ex. Meetings were sort of like family gatherings in a sense, most of the time ending in dinner at the Skywalker's, Obi-Wan's or his apartment complex that he shared with Kanan and Hera. A gut feeling told him that this wouldn't be like those times.

Using a push of courage he threw open the doors to see the council room in its vast splendor. He winced at the early morning sun that shone far too bright for his liking and he recognized that he had spent far too long in the underworld. Yes, this wasn't going to be an enjoyable experience _at all_.

"Good Morning, Ezra. It's nice of you to visit us. Did your evening go well?"

He groaned as he walked over to his seat next to Kanan, but spoke, "yes my old Master, it was enjoyable until it was interrupted rather rudely."

Ezra fell into his seat then adjusted himself until he could find some comfort in his tired body. He ran a hand through his hair and he noticed several chastising glares coming from the three women who were on the council, though the one from the red-head seemed to hold more mirth than the other two.

"Baysa's level of rude would have been nothing compared to _that_ " Luke said from his other flank, "keep that in mind my friend."

"Now that we are all here, let's begin" Anakin proclaimed in relief. He lowered the shades around the room before any more bickering could break out then began to speak as the holoprojector began to turn on, "late last night we received a transmission from the planet of Mandalore. There wasn't much in terms of a written explanation, although they did send us this recording that we will watch together. No one has seen this before, so keep that in mind before we voice any concerns or questions."

 _Mandalore_ , the planet's name run in Ezra's head like a bell. It had been years since he allowed himself to think of _her_ and the way she'd hurt him so. Hera had helped him through that pain until it became bearable at most, but there wasn't a whole lot more she could do. The scars that left were permanent as he knew they would always be. Forgetting that knowledge wouldn't be possible and every time he went to a nightclub then met a girl like Cila he would be reminded of the last time he opened up to someone fully. That truth from _her_ was the reason he had failed in his relationship with Chloe…it was the reason he turned away any advance by Leia.

His eyes caught sight of the hologram and to his satisfaction it was just one woman whom he recognized from years prior and she still spoke with the same conviction, "members of the Jedi Council, I bid you greeting. My name is Bo-Katan Kryze, some of you may know me, but for those who don't I'm one of the heads of the many Houses on Mandalore. I wish that this message would have come to you under more pleasant circumstances. In recent months we have been struck by bombings that have killed hundreds and injured more of our people, but we are no closer to solving them than we were when they first started. We have held a congress to attempt a collaborative solution with the other houses and clans, yet they failed to provide any possible solution. Because of our lacking available funds and manpower there isn't much to do on our own, that is why we contact you. The Jedi have resources that aren't available to us and expertise where we don't. Mandalore…needs help and you have given it in the past, so I turn to you again. Please contact me when you have made your decision."

Anakin raised the blinds of the room once the message faded away and he surveyed the room's occupants before turning to Obi-Wan. The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully while his brain made sense of the message. "How interesting" the Grand Master said in response.

"The first question to ask ourselves is 'should we send help'? Her message was brief though I felt that her words were genuine" spoke Luke.

"Oh, I had no doubt about that" Obi-Wan responded to his nephew then looked to Ezra to elaborate.

"Master Kenobi is right, they're far too prideful to ask for help unless they really need it and if they ask Jedi to assist them then they must be borderline desperate. Hearing from a person of Bo-Katan's stature takes away any of my doubt."

"Agreed" Kanan put forth, "for those of you who don't know, Bo-Katan Kryze is the unofficial leader of Mandalore. The people see her as their head of state even though she doesn't actually hold elected office. To them, she's the embodiment of their ideals."

"Why would it be more desperate if they need Jedi to help them? A lot of people come to us with things like this and we're more than happy to give them that help."

"Well Master Agnew, the Mandalorians simply don't trust or in some cases despise the Jedi. Thousands of years ago we fought them in the Mandalorian Wars and won, which is a sore spot for a culture of proud warriors like them. Ever since then they really aren't our biggest fans" Kanan told her.

A minute passed before Leia spoke, "helping them only seems right. If they are as desperate as it seems then it's our obligation to go there. She's right, we do have the resources and we're more than capable of solving bombings."

"Let's put it to a vote" Anakin stated. He looked around the room to see the other seven members nodding in agreement. "All in favor?" eight hands were raised with none abstaining or rejecting the proposal. "Perfect, now a team of two seems sufficient; sending anymore than that would upset the Mandalorians and that isn't exactly helpful. To add onto that, we have three members here with experience on the planet, but since one of you is expecting a child then the matter seems settled."

"Master Skywalker, Hera isn't due for months."

"And if her pregnancy is anything like Padme's then you will be needed anyway" the proud father told him. Anakin looked to his former Master and quirked an eyebrow that told Obi-Wan more than enough.

The Grand Master sighed heavily, "then unless Master Bridger has any objections he and I will assist House Kryze in their investigation."

Ezra had plenty of objections or rather, he had one large one. He told himself that he had nothing to worry about, they hadn't heard from her in three long years. For all they knew she had never even gone back to Krownest or Mandalore and she was still scouring the galaxy. Wherever she was it didn't matter, because she wasn't going to be home, that was something the person he thought he knew would do. She wasn't that person.

The longer he took to deliberate the more concern he felt coming from those who surrounded him. Ezra's family all looked impassively to him as he thought, but their concern could be felt. Knowing they cared that deeply about him pushed his worries about her from his mind. She wouldn't be there so it didn't matter. Reliving that day again was an impossibility, it wasn't going to happen. He told himself that the chronic sting from that night would be all that was left, and while seeing her would make the wound fresh he took solace in the fact that it had been Bo-Katan who spoke to them, not _her_.

"I hold no objections" he replied to them with a smile.

"Then that matter is settled and this meeting is adjourned" Anakin said standing up to stretch his back. The man Ezra saw as an Uncle turned to him conspiratorially, "I think it's time for breakfast, however you may want to get to the diner _fast_."

Ezra quirked an eyebrow in questioning, though when he saw Kanan, Leia, and even Mara standing with their arms folded and staring at him he understood. "I'll meet you there, Anakin. Now, if you'll excuse me."

 **Sidenote: this Jedi Council is made up of Ezra, Kanan, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Luke, Leia, Mara, and the new character/ex-girlfriend Chloe Agnew (age 23). Yeah they're all young, but the reason behind that was because they're the most experienced. Three of them are actually Masters, but the other five have just been there the longest so they're helping make decisions.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Someone asked for a summary of 'A Phoenix Dies' and I'd say read that one first since I'll butcher any summary, but I'll try: The _Ghost_ crew sought to deal a blow to the Empire at their TIE Defender factory on Lothal, but to their horror it went awry. Ezra raced to save them by stealing the experimental aircraft, but had to choose between self-sacrifice or letting his family die. After his ship was shot down he was rescued by two mysterious Force-users who turned out to be the children of legendary Jedi Anakin Skywalker. While Ezra lived with them and was nursed back to health Sabine, Kanan, and Zeb blamed Hera for the loss of their friend causing them all to deal with the grief in different ways. Unfortunately for Sabine, it caused her to look to substance for relief and she made choices that she otherwise wouldn't have made, including one that broke Ezra's heart. She realized the severity of what she had done and left to go to back to her family to seek rehabilitation while Ezra deals with the fallout of seeing the girl he had cared for purposefully hurt him in the worst of ways. Then, here we are.**

"You are not going anywhere right now" Kanan said sternly to him and Ezra winced at the tone. Just as he had taken his first steps towards the exit he found himself facing his own master, his three best friends, and two more amused Jedi who refused to leave before watching the scene unfold. "My first question was going to be 'where were you?' but Baysa had let it slip that you were in the lower levels. My follow up to that will be this, did you ignore Hera and I or did was it forgotten in favor of your getaway?"

Ezra lowered his head in shame. How could he have not thought about telling Hera he'd be out all night? He knew better than to keep her waiting to hear from him, he knew that even after three years she still had anxiety of her adopted son being harmed again. The memory of Hera breaking down at the sight of him came fresh to his mind and he felt sick. Nothing could have made him feel worse than knowing he had hurt her after everything she had done for him. Ezra had no idea how he had forgotten to tell Hera that he was going to the lower levels, but he was going to see her.

"I've got to go find her" Ezra told the Skywalkers, Obi-Wan, Mara, and Kanan. "I feel terrible, and I know I should." He looked at his expanded family with guilt in his eyes and his voice was low, "when we come back I'll apologize to all of you, but I have to apologize to Hera first."

"There's no need to leave the temple, I brought her with me when we heard about you coming back to the surface. She's downstairs in the gardens waiting to see you, don't make her wait any longer." Kanan sighed then crossed his arms over his fresh Jedi robes, the words that came from him made Ezra feel worse than he thought he could, "I'm disappointed, Ezra. We'll talk more at breakfast."

Heavy guilt and shame weighed on his shoulders while Ezra slid past those in the council room. To hear such a statement from, for all intents and purposes, his father tore him up. Day in and day out for over six years Hera cared for him, provided for him, and loved him so how does he repay that? By being forgetful. Hell, he'd even spoken about her to Cila that night. There weren't many times in his life when Ezra hated himself more than in that moment.

His legs moved on their own accord through the doors of the room bringing him to the lift he had used only a half hour before. The doors opened to let him in, but before they closed he took saw a look of sympathy on Leia where displeasure had been only moments before. He offered his best friend a shy smile that she didn't return, choosing instead to give him an apologetic look that he didn't deserve. Seeing that only made him more upset.

She cared so much about him and it was plain for everyone to see. Ever since they had found their long-lost aunt/Sith Lord on Lothal they had been together every single day at one point or another; during that time they had become much closer than he had been with anyone. They knew how to make one another laugh, they knew each other's favorite foods, they went out together multiple times a week, and at one point they had shared their first kiss – a fact that brought him remorse.

In the elevator he buried his head in his hands and allowed the disgrace wash over him. Leia loved him and he wanted to return that to her, she deserved to be loved, but after what happened on Yavin IV he just couldn't risk feeling that way again, he couldn't risk opening up. Despite knowing how it would make him feel Ezra let himself relive that night.

. . .

 _Naboo_ , _eighteen months years earlier_

Padme and Anakin had led the procession of New Republic troops down the streets of Theed along with Leia, Mara, Luke, and Ezra who walked behind the heroes of Naboo. The newly liberated people shed tears of joy for their returning Queen who had made an oath only months before to free them. Anakin had his fair share of admirers as well, but the children of the heroes were all celebrated in their own right. Nubians cried out support for the twins since they saw the Skywalkers as their family and their actions were just the latest thing in a long list of times Padme, Anakin, and now their children had to save the planet. Ezra had no doubt they'd be busy all night long, so when the procession reached the steps of the palace he excused himself then wandered off on his own.

He tucked his hands in his pockets, pulled up his hood then made his way deeper into the capital of Naboo. The buildings were wonderous and he could imagine how much they had seen in their existence. Anakin had told him about the droid invasion of the planet when Padme had been Queen then went on about how he became a hero at the age of nine after flying with R2 into the flagship. While his own children weren't too enthralled with the story they had heard dozens of times Ezra could help his fascination. If only the Force would allow him to speak to the walls of the buildings, there was so much to learn about the place.

The metal hand Anakin had built for him years ago ago trailed along the facades of the darkened houses he passed. Calm silence filled the empty, darkened street that he walked down. People of Naboo flooded the streets to see the heroes of their planet and to go to the celebration being held at the palace, they wouldn't be back until late that night if at all, so it gave him a calm place to enjoy their latest victory.

An hour or so of walking brought him to the very edge of the city's boundary where water cascaded down to the depths of the surface below. Distant music reached that place where he stood and he closed his eyes while the tune danced around him like the people from which it came. Unmolested jubilation gathered around every presence he felt in the palace giving him a second-hand enjoyment. They were all having the times of their lives, but like the other times he had been part of a planet's liberation Ezra wandered off to be alone.

With the moon as his only source of light he sat down on the damp grass and looked for things to toss over the edge of the cliff. Quickly, he gathered sticks, a couple pebbles, and fistfuls of grass then laid them in a pile next to his leg. One at a time he levitated the objects in front of him to inspect then he suspended them over the abyss where they fell down to a new home on the surface. Ezra repeated the process dozens of times each cycle including more objects that were sent to a new life to the world below. He had been so caught up in the serenity of his activity that he hadn't heard Leia approach him from behind.

"Ezra?" her soothing, but worried voice carried easily over the windless field that he sat in.

"I was wondering how long it was going to take you to find me" he replied as he turned his head to face her. Leia held a pensive look, but held her fidgeting hands at her waist gave away the fact that she was nervous and at the time he had no idea what it was. "This is a pretty strange game we play. I always go off after battles and when you figure out I'm gone you come to stay with me."

She walked over to sit directly beside him, tossing a stick over the abyss as he had done so only a moment before. "We do this a lot, but I don't really understand why. At first you're always so happy then you wonder off to be by yourself." She shifted her gaze from his left eye to his right then back. "Do you not feel comfortable with everyone else?"

As he picked up a pebble to levitate he thought out loud and looked at the object instead of her, "no, it's not that."

"Then what is it? Because there always comes a point when Hera or my parents ask where you are or go. We don't really understand."

"If I knew what it was I would tell you first. I just…I don't know, feel the need to be alone during nights like this. Part of me doesn't like the celebration even though they always bring everyone so much happiness. It's not the same" he finished with a whisper.

"Because of her maybe?" Neither of them had spoken her name since Yavin IV, but they both thought about her actions often. The _Ghost_ crew and the Skywalkers never said her name knowing what it did to him, but Ezra hadn't taken the chance to talk about it. There was so much more underneath the surface that they would never know if he could help it.

Air filtered through his lungs with a deep intake of breath and the all too familiar feeling of unworthiness came with the name that he wouldn't say. "Yeah, I think so. I don't understand why that would make me not want to be around a celebration though."

Leia took his prosthetic hand that had been fiddling with his pile of projectiles and though he didn't look up at her Ezra could tell that she had understanding in her brown eyes. "Things like that affect us more than we truly understand. When you pledge yourself to someone and hand them your heart with no strings attached you probably don't expect them to crush it so violently like she did. Leaving yourself so open and raw is a monumental risk and when that risk fails it takes more out of a person than they care to admit or let on. I can tell that's happening to you. She took more from you than you've said, Ezra."

"Doesn't mean I should avoid celebrations or parties."

"Well, we can have a party out here, just you and me if you'd like" she offered in a soft, kind tone. "The music is loud enough to hear out here, that's half of a celebration."

He laughed in spite of the harsh self-dissatisfaction that clung to him. Finally, he looked at Leia to see a warm smile that always waited for him when he found himself close to spiraling into the dark past. For just a minute he let everything slip away and welcomed the distraction that she offered. She shot him a questioning look when he stood then held out his gloved prosthetic, so he explained, "don't people dance at parties?"

"Why, Mr. Bridger are you asking me to dance?" In the moonlight he could see the delight in Leia's features; her lips curled upwards making her eyes crinkle. The Force became rushed with her sudden anxiousness and he could feel her hand tremble in his as she stood beside him. He placed his right hand on her waist and Leia placed her free hand on his shoulders as they began to sway to the soft tune that came to them from Theed.

"It's not too often that I ask someone to dance with me" he told her jokingly.

"Well, I'm flattered."

"You should be, but it was an easy choice I think."

"Oh?" Leia asked. "What would make such a desirable bachelor wish to dance with a girl like me?"

"That's an easy question to answer. You're by far the most elegant woman available, perhaps even the most beautiful."

Leia's eyes widened at his admission and he could feel the hand he held tremble more. Moonlight did nothing to hide the tint of red that touched upon her cheeks at his compliment and Ezra saw her swallow nervously. Their dance continued for a few more minutes before she managed to choke out, "y – you're just teasing me. There's also no one else around."

"Wouldn't matter if there was. Out of everyone on this planet you'd still be the first one I'd ask to dance with."

"What…what about one of the maidens of the Queen? They're remarkably beautiful."

"Yeah, you are right about that" he told her and he watched her face fall just like he knew it would. Before she could dip her head in disappointment he continued, "but they still hold nothing on my current dance partner."

At once her head snapped back to look at him and the brown eyes that were barely visible in the night held disbelief. "Do you mean that?"

"Every word". Ezra couldn't stop himself and he slowly leant forward to press his lips to hers. Her lips were soft and tender much like the way she always acted with him. Years of loss had been swept away when he closed his eyes to take in the sensation. She brought her quaking hand to the side of his face as she returned his gesture with hesitation. Ezra sensed the bliss from Leia for waiting so long to have this moment with him, but when he sensed the love she had for him he became so horribly afraid.

At first it was for himself, that he had acted rash yet again. He opened himself up for just a minute and he came to a crossroads that he wasn't ready to overcome. She truly loved him, that was a feeling he wanted to badly to return, yet he couldn't. There may come a time when they fight, they could break up and he would lose her as well as her family. If he had to watch them leave like _her_ he would collapse, break down, maybe never recovering.

He couldn't be with Leia, not then. Ezra had assumed how she'd felt about him and he'd just taken advantage of that. She wanted him to be with her and for a minute he indulged that only to take it away from her. He was just like _her_. He wasn't worthy of those feelings Leia had for him. Ezra couldn't stop the downwards spiral of self-loathing that came to him when he broke the kiss just as quick as he'd started it.

Ezra shut his eyes tightly to stop himself from seeing her confusion or pain. The hand he had been holding never moved, in fact he hadn't felt her move other than the shuddering that still rippled through her body. He let his hold on her waist drop, but he still held her hand; he needed that touch to keep him grounded.

"I – I can't, Leia. I want to so badly, but I can't do it" he told her in an unsteady voice.

She was still reeling from the kiss she had longed for, but found it in her to respond, "what do you mean?"

"I'm not worthy of this. Being with you is something I want, but I can't offer that to you right now. She still affects me, every second of every day. It's so deep and I wish more than anything that I could change it, but I can't. Until I do, being together with you isn't what I'll allow myself to do because my heart won't be in it like yours will. That's no fair to you, and I won't do that. I sound awful, but I mean that I'll always be afraid of being hurt again. You wouldn't do that type of thing to me, believe me when I tell you that I know that, but if something ever happened between us because I can't be committed then I could lose _everything_." He finally looked at her and crumbled when he saw he lip tremble slightly. "Please understand."

Leia released her grip on his shoulder, however she still held his flesh hand tightly. "I do" he heard her say quietly.

"This is the last thing I ever wanted to do, Leia. Hurting you is…unbearable to me. I didn't mean to when I tried to date Chloe and I didn't when I kissed you. I'm so sorry, please…please don't hate me. I'm sorry."

The galaxy felt like it was caving in on him. Anxiety added onto his fear of losing his friends thus making breathing painful. Air burned when it graced his nostrils, his eyes stung as they fought back his body's attempts to show his pain. In that moment, he wanted to run faster than he ever had right into Hera's arms. She'd make it okay, she'd protect him from himself. Before his legs gave out he found strength and support when Leia closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around his heavy body.

"Shh, stop" she whispered with her head resting on his shoulders. "Don't do this to yourself, it's not your fault. Hating you isn't possible for me and this wouldn't make me feel like that anyway. This…hurts, but it makes sense. We'll get over this together if you need it or alone if you'd rather do that."

Broken like a scolded child he whispered, "I don't want to be alone."

"Then I'll stay with you." She rubbed circles into the middle of his back soothing his tense body. Breathing returned to it's normal feel, but Ezra continued to clench his eyes tight out of guilt, shame, and sorrow.

"I'm sorry I ruined our dance" he apologized.

"We have all night to dance, but right now you don't need that. Just relax, okay?"

"Okay." Silence fell over the two when they stood there comforting one another. Eventually, he gathered enough of his sanity to wrap her into a tight hug that she returned eagerly. "Leia?"

"Mhmm?"

"Please don't tell your Aunt when you see her. I get that Padme and Anakin will find out somehow, but don't tell her."

Sweet sounding muffled giggles filled the air. "You don't need to be afraid of her. Father has been helping her come back from the dark side and she's doing well. She asks about you occasionally too."

"That's great, but if you tell her then she's going to fall back and hunt me down. Not that I don't deserve it."

"I told you to stop" Leia scolded him. "I won't dance with a man who's self-deprecating all night."

"Okay" he told her. For the rest of the night he said nothing about it, but inside he couldn't get it out of his head. That night when the celebration wound down they walked back to Theed together. Minute traces of tension hung over them though they didn't let it bother them. After he bid her goodnight Ezra sat on the roof of the _Ghost_ curing _her_ for doing this to him.

. . .

Elevator doors opened bringing his mind back to the present. Before he even stepped out of the lift Ezra felt the familiar sense of tunnel vision and the heaviness of his inadequacy accompanying him. Absentmindedly, he strode towards the temple gardens not knowing what Jedi he passed or who spoke to him. Nothing mattered more than seeing Hera and talking to her, no person in the galaxy would stop that.

Once he took the last turn that brought him to the open archway that led outside Ezra felt Hera's worry. She sat facing away from him to look at the tree that was the centerpiece of the gardens. To an outsider she may have looked calm, but he knew better than that. Her emotions had been running wild from the pregnancy, so tack on the fact that her adopted son – who Hera believed died three years ago – had gone missing Hera's inner emotions were frantic. Kanan more than likely told her that Ezra had been safe, but she wouldn't buy that until she saw him herself.

Ezra began to shake and cry silently when he felt those things. With haste he moved called to her, "Hera?" The twi'lek whipped around faster than a lightning strike, her eyes looked him over for any injuries then stopped when they found his face. She never had the chance to ask him what was bothering him, he just ran to her throwing his arms around her very pregnant body.

"Ezra, what happened, what's wrong?" she asked frantically. No doubt his weeping body had her very concerned, but he couldn't answer her right away. The twenty-year-old descended into himself, overwhelmed with emotion. "Ezra, are you okay? Please, tell me!"

"I – I'm s – sorry" he stuttered into her light green tunic. "I never meant to be so inconsiderate to you."

"You can't do that to me" she told him tenderly while she smoothed his long, disheveled hair. "I didn't know where you were or if you were taken. I know that I worry about you too much, but it's all for good reason. All you have to do is leave a note or call me once, okay?" He didn't answer her and Hera knew there was more to him being distraught than she knew. "Did you have another attack?"

No one other than Hera knew about his tendency to fall victim to the dark memories of his past, not even Leia. There were times when it became so debilitating that he couldn't do anything until the attacks passed. Each time he could feel them coming Ezra made his way to Hera and when they hit she became his rock. His 'mother' whispered words of strength to him, each one bringing him closer to normalcy until he returned.

"It's alright, Ezra. Let's go home, okay? We'll go to breakfast another day, I think right now we need to have a day just the two of us." He nodded slowly, not trusting his words at the moment. A kick on Hera's stomach made him smile wide, the little one never failed to do that to him. "I think Jacen agrees with me, come on. I'll let Kanan know we're taking the speeder back to the apartment."

. . .

Hours passed without movement from Ezra or Hera. They had been sitting on the couch together since they returned from the Jedi Temple never moving once. The others would be curious why he hadn't shown up for their morning ritual, but Hera had told them that she wanted him home with her for a while. It wasn't exactly a lie, so the others wouldn't sense any duplicity from her. In truth, she needed to take care of him.

This attack hadn't been like others before it. Usually, he would have trouble breathing, feel the anxiety and weight on his body then he'd recover within an hour or so. This one took him _hours_ to control his breathing, sweat still dotted his skin and he still shook, but he was finally coming down. Hera's words and the circles she rubbed on his shoulders had the attack leaving faster than it normally would have. If she wasn't there he had no doubt he would have been laying in the gardens alone with blank eyes.

"It's nearly gone."

"What could have brought it on so strong? I've never seen you like that and I never want to again. I was so close to taking you to the hospital" Hera spoke to him shakenly.

"I guess our new mission kinda kicked it off, but when Kanan told me about forgetting to tell you about leaving I could feel in coming. Then in the elevator ride down to see you I thought about Leia and I on Naboo."

"You can't do that yourself anymore. Fight it, push those thoughts away, do anything to keep yourself from thinking about them. I don't want you feeling this way anymore, it's heartbreaking." He shrugged but didn't move his body. Having his head in her lap with her soothing touches made him feel so much better than being on his own. Mara had called it 'a mother's magic' and he agreed wholeheartedly.

Then she paused suddenly making him sit up. The angry, protective look in her eyes made him want to hide even though he knew it wasn't aimed at him. "What new mission?"

Eventually she'd have to be told, but he had been hoping that Kanan would be here to explain why he was going. After today Ezra would be lucky if she let him leave within the year. "We received a transmission today…from Mandalore."

Hera shook her head causing her lekku to sway. In a voice that normally left no room for argument she said, "no."

"I have to go. They asked specifically for two Jedi and there are only three who have experience with them. Obi-Wan has to go since he's the most senior member with that experience, but next it's either Kanan or me and – "

"No. Kanan can go in your place."

"He has to stay with you. We don't know how long we'll be on Mandalore trying to figure out who's been setting off the bombs – "

" _Bombs?_ Oh, no you're really not going" she told him firmly. She pushed herself off of their sofa with a grunt then stretched her back. "If you expect me to give you permission to do something like this then you're dead wrong, Ezra Bridger. I'll talk to Anakin and I'm sure he'd be happy to send another Jedi."

Ezra turned around to lean on the back of the couch as she made her way into the kitchen that connected to their living room. "We already voted on it. Obi-Wan and I were chosen universally by the council. There's no one in the Jedi Order who's more responsible than Master Kenobi, he's going to keep me in line. Besides, they Mandalorians trust me."

"Not all of them. Plenty still hold resentment against the Jedi and the New Republic, which makes you a target." Hera opened the refrigerator to grab things for lunch and leaned on the counter once she had everything. The fiery protectiveness that shone through told him that this would take a lot of convincing. "Have you wondered what would happen if you had an attack while you were there? I couldn't help you."

"I know that, but I'd be willing to bet that Obi-Wan knows tricks to help settle me down enough to give you a call."

"And…what if she's there?"

"I can ignore her" Ezra said with a shrug.

A green index finger pointed right at him as Hera reprimanded him, "don't give me that. We both know full well that's not going to happen. She could be there waiting for you to show up with Obi-Wan only to seek out more of her twisted justice on you."

"That bridge will be crossed when we come to it."

"No, we won't. Come here and help me with lunch, you need to eat."

The first half-smile of the day crossed his lips, "yes, Hera."

 **A/N: Sorry this chapter took so damn long. Midterms took a lot of time as did homework, but I didn't forget – I don't think anyone who likes this story and its prequel would let me anyway. I stuck in Jason? Jaycen? Jacen? Jayson? from the Rebels finale, which I thought was pretty great. I do hope they throw in Anakin's Force ghost to talk to Ahsoka eventually since they're my top two favorite characters, but I digress. Some won't like the Leia-Ezra thing, but I thought it was a good moment to add in for character development and to show what he's going through. I hate sounding arrogant, but it wasn't too bad. The next update hopefully won't take so long, but thanks for the support!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just a couple quick things, but as always, thank you to everyone who likes the story! It's always nice to see. First, I know the last chapter may have been confusing, but I've never had a panic attack and tried to explain that as best I could, so that's kinda what that was. Second, some people still want to know what happened with Ezra and Sabine to which I'll say that this is a sequel to another story 'A Phoenix Dies' where everything is explained – people surprised me with how much they liked it so it may be worth reading, I dunno!**

Ezra sat at the end of the dining room table dining in silence alongside Hera and Kanan. Between bites the twenty-year-old would spare a glance towards his mother to see if her resolve had cracked in regard to his mission – it hadn't. During the hours they spent shopping he would occasionally drop a hint to her to let her know that he felt fine and that he would remain that way for a while, but if Hera believed him she certainly didn't say so. Instead, she simply nodded her head, hummed in understanding, or ignored the statements entirely. He had been waiting for Kanan to return back to their apartment to broach the subject again, now was his chance.

Since he set down the plates and food minutes earlier he had been waiting for conversation to start so he could manipulate it in the direction he needed it to go. The only problem with that was that Hera nor Kanan said anything to each other or him. All sensed the easy tension around them, and it seemed that Ezra had to be the one to start it. Ezra spared one final glare to Hera who seemed content to eat her food in the somewhat awkward silence.

"How did breakfast go?" he asked Kanan between bites of his dinner.

"Well" the Jedi master responded, "though the others seemed to wonder about you of course. I told them that you spent the day with Hera and it seemed to be a good enough explanation for them." He set down his fork on the table then leaned forward on the table to look at Ezra.

"Elbows off the table" Hera chastised without even looking up.

Kanan obeyed his wife then asked, "where'd you both go?"

"We went shopping for baby clothes mostly" the Jedi Knight responded. "Though I did a pretty good-looking jacket too, I just need to find a time to wear it."

That caught Hera's attention and the woman raised her eyes to look to the boy who sat to her direct right. In that gaze was a warning that told him, 'you won't win this discussion'. She saw right through his measly attempt to direct the conversation then offered him a choice to stop where he was or to continue into dangerous waters.

"Bring it with you tomorrow."

Hera kept her eyes at Ezra, never blinking, when she replied for him, "he isn't going."

"What? When was this decided?"

"Well, it wasn't" Ezra answered lightning fast.

Both men turned to the clattering of metal against porcelain as Hera dropped her silverware carelessly onto her plate. Her hands formed into loose fists and her breathing became heaver as her calm aura fell at once. The scornful twi'lek exchanged quiet looks between her adopted son and her husband. "He is _not_ going anywhere tomorrow, especially not a place where Sabine may be or one that poses danger to him. I won't allow it."

Taken aback by the sudden uptick in seriousness Kanan spared a look to his former student who merely shrugged his shoulders slowly. It was clear to Ezra that the older man was deeply confused, but it had been part of the plan. In her current state Hera was much more likely to let her emotions get the better of her and most of the time Ezra didn't mind, but this time it interfered with business. This wasn't a situation he hadn't been in before, and he may not have been able to make that clear though Kanan surely could.

"Where is this coming from?"

"Kanan, I want him here. He's not safe there and it's just asking for trouble." Despite their current disagreement Ezra felt incredibly grateful that she hadn't said anything about his distress earlier that day. Their unspoken agreement was safe between them and the boy felt a surge of love for his mother.

"Ezra is going to be safe, he always is. You've never been like this in the hundreds of other missions we've been on together, I don't really get it. I don't know if he told you, but Obi-Wan is going to be there with him and he's the most experienced out of any of us. Ezra will be absolutely fine."

Her eyes filled with anger and her fists clenched tighter. "What if he isn't, Kanan? The Jedi could be sending him into the most dangerous place the can be, and I'm the only one that cares!" Taking her napkin from her lap Hera wiped her mouth then tossed it onto her plate. She stood abruptly, spared them both a tearful look then left the room quickly.

Ezra pushed his own chair out but found that Kanan had beaten him to it. The older Jedi exhaled loudly then spoke in a calm voice, "let me talk to her. Once I'm done I'm sure you'll be able to see her, for now though finish eating then…we'll figure it out."

As Kanan walked away Ezra at in silence. It didn't take him long to finish eating and when he did the boy took it upon himself to clear the dishes from the table, wash them, and set them on the drying rack. Usually, they would have been sitting on the couch playing a game together or watching a show, but he doubted that was going to happen that night. Leaning against the kitchen counter he thought about what to do at home without his parents. There really wasn't much he could do, every piece of entertainment within the house had been designed to be used with others, so without the Skywalkers, his padawan, or his parents he didn't know how to occupy himself. Until he got an idea.

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his com unit and made his way to the open balcony that connected their home to the open air of the city-planet. He called one of the plush chairs over to him with the Force then sat in it while leaning on the railing of the balcony. City and speeder lights stretched far over the horizon leaving him in awe just like it had the very first time he had been on the planet to cleanse it of Imperial troops. It never ceased to amaze him just how far and deep the buildings went on Coruscant. The beings who lived there had their moments otherwise it was a great place to live.

Ezra looked down at the device in his hand then dialed the one person anyone in his little clique called when they looked for a distraction. It wasn't late enough that Mara would be eating and he doubted that she would be in bed this early. If he knew his friend at all he'd guess that the fiery red-head was either bantering with one of their friends or reading – a habit he had been surprised to learn.

A moment later a blue hologram of Mara Jade showed in his palm. Atypically, she didn't smirk or scold him right off the bat, this time she just offered a kind smile that he only saw from time to time. "Bridger" she said friendly, "this is unexpected."

"We haven't spoken one on one in a while. Are you available to talk for a bit?"

"Once second" she said and he could hear the teenager moving about in her home until she came back to the device looking a little flustered. "I'm good now. What is the purpose behind gracing me with your presence this evening?"

A light chuckle escaped his lungs at her poor attempt at a posh accent. "I can't just grace you with my wonderful personality?"

Mara barked out a laugh. "I guess that's one way to put it. How come you weren't at breakfast this morning, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm all set now. Just a rough morning I guess, but it's getting better."

"Oh?" she asks and the concern he had seen on her face that morning returned. "Wanna tell me what exactly was wrong?"

"I" he paused wondering how he was going to explain it to the inquisitive eighteen-year-old. The girl was nothing if not relentless, she would ask then ask and not stop pestering until he spoke to her. It was one of the traits that made her an incredible friend but could be annoying at times – something Mara didn't care about at all. However, he knew that anything he told her would be in confidence because she would almost rather die than speak of another's secret. Ezra shrunk under her sharp gaze then cleared his throat to say, "had a moment where everything just got to me, and hearing about worrying Hera just set me off. Sorry if I worried you guys."

Mara nodded slowly and the harsh look melted into a soft one - such quick changes had him wondering if she was bipolar or simply a good actor. "All is forgiven. Seeing you chastised like that wasn't a very comfortable time I have to admit. Compound that with the fact that we didn't see you at all yesterday and it gave me mixed feelings."

"Baysa told me about that. He said that Leia and Chloe were ready to come find me." Then he realized what she said then smirked and added, "I didn't realize you cared so much about me, that's touching."

"Don't look too much into it, Bridger" she snorted. "I was more worried about losing my sparing doubles partner that's all. Your padawan also may have undersold the 'ready to come find you' aspect. I don't know if I've ever seen them volunteer working together, but today they were gung-ho and ready to hunt you down like bounty hunters."

Guilt rose quickly that he recognized then tried to ignore by poking fun at Mara. "You mean you didn't feel like coming after me as well?"

"Please, you aren't my first priority. If you keep talking about me like this then I'm going to think you'll have a crush on me."

"You're not my type. Besides, I think someone else has that covered." He enjoyed the blush that came over the red-head's cheeks. No matter how hard he tried Ezra wasn't able to suppress his enjoyment at her expense, eventually laughing when Mara stared daggers at him. It was a secret to no one that Luke and Mara had feelings for one another, but for a reason no one could figure out they never opened up to one another. The two stole glances at one another during council meetings, flirted relentlessly, and were nearly always at each other's side. He figured that provoking one of them into saying anything may finally make things happen, however whenever he prodded one of them an emptiness made itself known that made his mood plummet.

"Could say the same about you" Mara said smartly and Ezra saw the cogs in the other Jedi's brain moving. Synapses fired in her head as they had in his when he first heard about the mission to Mandalore. He prepared himself for another conversation where they danced around _Her_ like a bomb about to explode. "Are you going to be alright tomorrow?"

"I will be if I go" Ezra told her with a sigh.

"What do you mean _if_ you go?"

"Hera doesn't want me to go to Mandalore for the same reason everyone is hesitant to let me go. She's worried that seeing Her is going to set me off or something, but I don't think it will. It's not like I'm going to snap or anything."

"Of course, you won't" Mara told him, this time in the understanding, kind tone reserved for serious conversations. "Nobody is saying that you would do that, so don't think that way. If she is there, then have you wondered what would happen? I don't know much about her and I honestly don't care to, however it may have pretty serious consequences. I think Hera has a point."

"I do too, she always does. Hera's far too smart to let something such as this slide past her. I'm just not going to hold myself from a mission where I'm needed simply because of a possibility. If she is there waiting for me I'll be able to stay strong. After all, it's been three years without a single word from her, I'm not so forgiving that I'd look past that."

"But that doesn't sound like you have a plan. Pretending that the past didn't happen isn't even close to a viable option. Hera isn't the only smart one, you've got a brain in your skull and it functions well as far as I can tell. Use it, think of what to do."

He sighed then leaned back in his chair. Mara had a very valid point, he couldn't go in blind on the off chance that he would see Her. Thinking of her was painful. Time had done next to nothing to soothe the wounds she had given him and going into the lion's nest armed only with hope was going to make him useless for the mission ahead. Too much was at stake, he wasn't about to let the Jedi or the Mandalorians down just because of his inability to deal with anguish.

"Ezra?"

"Alright, we can plan it since you wouldn't let me leave until you heard it anyway."

"Precisely. Like I said, you've got a brain in your skull" Mara said pleasantly. "So, for our first approach you could try to hurt her."

"What?" Ezra questioned.

She rolled her eyes then explained, "you could try to hurt her during a duel or practice session then taunt her afterwards to let her know you aren't to be spoken to again."

"Mara, that's a terrible idea, I'd never do something like that. Besides that probably wouldn't even work."

" _Fine_. Why don't we work on your insults instead? They're decent but could use a lot of practice to be on par with my own."

"That's…not much better" he replied. "What if I just treat her treat her like a stranger? I'd talk only about our mission and otherwise don't speak at all. That way there's little to no chance of her saying anything more to me and I don't have to acknowledge her presence more than I have to."

"Very professional of you. I would never do that though I do suppose it's more in your blood. We should practice it."

"Ezra?" Hera's voice called out from behind him. The boy spun around to see the woman standing sheepishly in the doorway with her arms folded underneath her swollen stomach.

Turning around to look at Mara he stated, "I've got to go. My mother wants to talk to me, but I'll see you in the morning alright?"

"I'll be expecting you Master Bridger" she said as the right side of her lip curled into her trademark smirk. "Don't be late and wish Hera a good night from me." Then in the blink of an eye she ended the transmission leaving him alone on the balcony with Hera who had strode over to him from the open archway.

He placed the device in his pocket then called a chair over to Hera using the Force much like he did for himself. Gingerly the pregnant woman sat in the chair then huffed when the action was complete. For a minute she just looked over Ezra, taking in his beard, long hair, and how much he matured. He knew what she did so Ezra simply gave her a pleasant expression in response, because no matter what Hera wanted he would follow through with it. She had made far too many sacrifices for him to not give her one thing.

He could tell there was something on her mind that she had to get off her chest, so he gave Hera a look that told her he knew, and she acquiesced. "Since when did you start calling me 'mother'?"

"For a while. You've been taking care of me for almost seven years now, seems to me that you earned the title long ago. If you mind then I can stop."

"No" she countered promptly as her eyes misted over. "That's up to you and I'm very honored you think of me like that. I can never replace your birth parents, I know that. I try my best everyday to honor them however."

"You've done the greatest job I could have asked for, I hope you know that."

"Even with all of the worrying, nagging, and mood swings?" she asked with a quirked brow.

"That last one is a recent development and it's hard to blame you for it, but yes, even with all of that. Those things are just because you care about me; I'd rather have you do all those things than not care about me at all. I'm pretty lucky to have all of that." Ezra spoke every word straight from the heart and with honesty. Saying things like that had been very difficult since they opened him up to potential harm, but Hera deserved to hear them and so much more. In the future he had to make more of an effort to let her know those things.

A nostalgic grin came upon her face when she looked to Ezra. Lightly, she shook her head causing her lekku to sway in the night air. "I forget how much you've matured sometimes. That boy who walked onto the _Ghost_ all those years ago is long gone. In his place is a strong young man who's more than capable of handling himself on any Jedi mission."

"Hera" Ezra interjected before she could continue. "If you aren't comfortable with me going I won't go. It's alright, honestly. Leia, Mara, Luke, even Anakin would be fine with taking my place. You don't have to let me go."

She chuckled and offered an apologetic expression. "Yes I do. Keeping you here isn't fair to you when you have this responsibility to the New Republic. I can't force you to stay with me when there's a much greater path for you to follow. I overreacted earlier, and I'm sorry."

Ezra stood, walked around the table, then enveloped the twi'lek with his arms. She returned the embrace tightly and he felt safe and loved just like every other time Hera hugged him. Being twenty didn't change the fact that a mother's embrace made problems fade away into the abyss. He didn't say much for a few minutes choosing instead to enjoy the tender moment.

"Don't apologize, I get it. You're trying to keep me safe and there's nothing wrong with that" the young man whispered into her shoulder.

"Ezra" Hera broke the silence sternly. Arms pushed him out of the hug to bring his eyes to hers. "You must promise me that if something happens you'll call me. I'm not asking you to return before the bomber is caught, but I am asking you to let me know if there's danger or if you have another episode."

"I promise. You'll be the first to know."

"Good, now help me out of this chair so we can go watch a show with Kanan. Maybe they'll be spotlighting you in this week's news."

. . .

Ezra woke with a start, gasping for breath. Sweat glistened on his forehead and his t-shirt stuck to his body like tape. His eyes frantically looked around his bedroom for anything familiar. Jars of dirt from each battle lined his walls, pictures of his family and friends sat on his dresser, and his Jedi robes hung on the back of his door. He was home, he was safe. An unsteady hand wiped the sweat from his face and his prosthetic tore the sheets from his legs. Ezra sat on the edge of his mattress letting his heartrate settle down from the incredible pace it had been at.

During his night Ezra had a vision, there was no doubt about it. It had been clear and he recognized the realness of the things he had watched. Voices called to him while fires raged along a town the Jedi didn't recognize. People clung to the injured as other bodies were charred beyond repair, but what frightened him most had been the silhouette hiding behind the flames of the steel buildings. Malicious energy formed around it, taunting Ezra and calling to him to find it.

Sunlight shined brightly through his window as he pondered the vision and what it could mean. He knew that he should have paid more attention during the scenes, however there was so much to understand in a short minute. None of the high rises looked familiar, no faces were recognizable, there was nothing for him to take from it.

"Ezra, are you awake?"

"Yeah" he called back through his door. "I'll be out in just a second, Kanan." Ezra turned behind him to look out at the lively scenery outside of his window. The next day he'd be on some planet lightyears away from it all. He rested his chin on his prosthetic then began to wonder if the vision had any connection to that mission. It couldn't have been a coincidence; when it came to the Force he had quickly learned that there were no such things. All is as the Force wills it, and it wanted him to see that. He just didn't know why.

Throughout his morning routine of making the bed, gathering his clothes, showering, and meditating Ezra had been unable to shake the ominous feeling. More than once Kanan spared him a glance that looked suspicious, however he didn't pry. There wasn't much to tell him even if Kanan did. Instead, they waited in the living room for Hera to finish her getting ready so they would go to breakfast at the temple.

"Kanan?"

"Mhmm?"

Ezra turned to look over his shoulder to see his master sitting at the table in a quasi-meditative state. He tried to work out what he wanted to say in a manner that wouldn't alarm his father. Visions weren't uncommon, but the ones he had and the ones Anakin had told him about all were foreboding in a sense. The last thing his parents needed were to feel any more concern about the mission he was to leave on that morning.

"Do you have any ideas on who the terrorist is on Mandalore?"

The elder Jedi chuckled. "Isn't that what you're supposed to figure out?"

"Well…yeah, but do you know of a person or group who'd do that?"

"Mandalore has been in a near constant state of war since its founding. They've fought us, the Republic, themselves, and others along the way. There are countless enemies of the Mandalorians who wish them harm, so there really is no way of telling who would have more reason to attack them than another."

"Right." That also meant there were countless possibilities of the shadow in his dream. "That doesn't make my job any easier."

"If it did" Kanan added, "then you wouldn't be going. Don't worry too much over it, follow Master Kenobi's lead and follow your instincts. You're one of the best Jedi in the order. There's a good reason why you're on the council."

"Are you both ready to go?" Hera said walking slowly into the living room of the home.

"Just waiting on you." After sliding his chair out from the kitchen table Kanan walked over to his wife then held his arm out for her to take. Hera happily received the gesture then started to their speeder. It wouldn't take long for Ezra to miss those small displays of affection between them. At one time they barely spoke to one another for months, but seeing them like this made that seem like a far off dream. In no time at all he hopped over the back of the couch to join them on his last morning on Coruscant.

 **A/N: Remember, this is a sequel so if you're still confused check that out! It'll make more sense afterwards.**


	5. Chapter 5

Ezra, Kanan, and Hera exited their family speeder into the early morning sun. Per usual, vehicles flew overhead in an array of directions and people of all species moved about their daily routines. The next day would kick off the weekend, so the young Jedi Knight guessed that they were doing their best to complete their work to find reprieve in the next couple days. It would be nice to explore more of the planet or see what his friends were up to, but duty called to him.

Moving around to the other side of the speeder Ezra held out an arm which Hera took gladly and he escorted her towards the door of Dexter's new diner – the old one having been torn down during the reign of the Empire. He grinned at Hera and they closed the short distance from their parking space to the front doors of the restaurant. They spared a glance back to Kanan who took his time to meet them.

"May I?" the elder man asked Ezra.

A smirk formed upon his lips, "by all means." He gave Hera's hand to Kanan who brought it to his lips then planted a soft kiss on her knuckles.

"What gentlemen" Hera said happily

With a slight bow Ezra opened the door for both of his parents then followed behind into the bustling diner. Over twenty booths and tables were filled up by all sorts of species. A couple Jedi he recognized sat by one of the windows of the box-shaped diner. Families and friends packed the place, which Ezra enjoyed thoroughly. Since meeting Dex through Obi-Wan he'd come to like the owner quite a bit, so his success brought him joy.

A droid rolled over to the trio, its optical sensor taking in their appearances. Its dark blue apron and hat swayed when it rolled around them. Once the waiter droid recognized them he pointed his thumb to the back room and said, "your room's all ready. The staff will be with you shortly."

They wove through the mass of tables, dining staff, and patrons. Ezra scuffed his feet on the multi-hued blue tiles until they slid into the private area that Dex reserved for their group. Nearly every morning they found themselves in this room, but it never got old. Breakfast became the time where the three families could spend quality time together and each time it seemed like they became closer to one another.

Surveying the room around them Hera spoke the obvious, "first ones here. That seems rather new for us."

"Had to happen sometime" Ezra told her. He took his usual spot at the middle of the horseshoe shaped table, with Hera and Kanan to his right. "It's not like we have to be fashionably late on the daily."

Setting himself in his chair Kanan tap on the table, asking, "do you have everything ready?"

"There isn't much to bring. I'm wearing my clothes, my lightsaber's on my belt, and I'm sure that Obi-Wan will brief me on the ship. Think that's ready as it gets."

"Any last minute worries or questions?"

A brief flash of his nightmare from earlier came to his mind. "No" he lied. "Nothing to worry about I don't think. Hoping that this is a simple mission where we investigate, figure it out, then come back here."

"Simple so long as there isn't a certain someone there" Hera murmured under her breath.

"Take it easy, dear" Kanan soothed and placed his hand over hers. "We don't know anything more right now. Until that time comes we'll think of this as a simple mission. Besides, Ezra can handle more than we give him credit for."

Hera huffed then put the menu closer to her eyes. "I still don't like it."

"Don't like what?"

Ezra looked up from his menu to see the older Skywalker twin walk into the room. Luke eyed them with interest as he moved to his own seat next to Ezra. The new addition to the room quirked an eyebrow to his best friend then to Kanan as he waited for an answer.

"Mom doesn't like me going to Mandalore."

"Well that's fair" Luke told him promptly. "My mother doesn't like me doing anything. Whenever father offers to send me on a mission he gets an earful from her; I've come to accept it as parental concern."

"Thank you, Luke" Hera spoke with gratitude. "Padmé is a very wise woman to feel that way. Someday you both will know what it's like to worry for your own children."

"Right" he spoke then looked at the menu. The exercise was fruitless since Ezra ordered the same three things on rotation, but he still humored Hera who told him to expand his tastes. He made faces at the strange dishes that all listed ingredients that didn't sit too well with him.

"Where are your folks?" Kanan queried.

Luke looked up at the door then shrugged. "Not sure to be honest. I was on night shift last night helping out the police with my padawan. I slept at the temple then came straight here. Shouldn't be too long knowing them."

"Anything noteworthy?"

"Not this time, Kanan" Skywalker replied. "Just a couple spice shipments that we detained, but nothing they couldn't do on their own. At least it's easy training for Isla."

Talking could be heard before the doors to the room even opened and the three other Skywalker, Obi-Wan, and the Jades came into the room. The two girls were deep in conversation as were the mother and the three older men. Ezra grinned since the family finally came together and the slight worry about Mandalore faded for the time being.

He felt himself grin when Padmé walked around the table to him. He stood out of his chair to give the Vice-Chancellor a warm hug. The woman looked him over with care before asking, "how are you today, Ezra?"

"I'm fine. Nothing too worrying at the moment, but I'm sure something will come up as it always does. Feels like we're all trouble magnets."

"Isn't that the truth" she agreed. "At least for the moment we can enjoy a meal with one another before you and Obi-Wan depart."

Sitting back in his chair Ezra caught a glance of Obi-Wan who sat at the opposite end of the horseshoe and closest to the entrance. The elder man who began to lose more of his auburn colored hair offered him a soft expression that calmed him more than before. The Grand Master of the Jedi had an aura about him that made Ezra feel safe. Situations of all kinds were handled with care and intelligently by the 'Negotiator'. In three years he'd learned so much from Anakin's former master, and no doubt there was more to learn.

The waiter-droid came into the room to take their orders the moment everyone seated themselves. Around the table it went and when it came to Ezra he had a split second of thinking about ordering something different until he caved, ordering his assembly of fruit and sweet crescent pastries. Hera's eyeroll wasn't missed by him.

After they had all placed their orders conversation began to flow around the table. "So, how are everyone's padawan learners?"

"Isla is progressing well, thank you for asking Mrs. Jade" Luke responded first. "Lightsaber combat may not be her forte, yet she's beginning to excel in investigative skills. Today she's going to be assisting the police in a series of spice trafficking cases."

"That's quite impressive, but you know better than to call me 'Mrs. Jade', Luke. What about Ezra and Leia, how are your students?"

Leia looked to Ezra who nodded to her, so she spoke first, "Idani is headstrong and opinionated, but talented. She's making great strides to becoming a great Jedi in my opinion, but her attitude needs to be kept in check. It's a work in progress to say the least. We'll be working on lightsaber forms later today and for the foreseeable future until humility is added to the library of traits she owns."

"If anyone can deal with that type of attitude it's you dear. After all, headstrong is a characteristic you've dealt with before" Salae Jade said smirking.

Feigning offense Anakin remarked, "that hurts Salae. Surely you don't think that of me."

"Not just you" she responded with a sideways glance at Padmé who gave a snort. "What about you, Ezra?"

"Baysa is a spectacular student. He's got a natural gift for the using the Force in many different manners. The kid learns everything quickly and with respect. I didn't expect so much from my second student, but he's certainly reached the high bar that Mara did."

From the end of the horseshoe shaped table Obi-Wan remarked, "yes, if only all of us could be as fortunate as you."

"Speak for yourself, Old Man" Anakin shot back. "You got greatness out of the way right off the bat. In fact, I was so great you didn't take another one afterwards."

"But I did my former apprentice, and both of them made the experience somewhat pleasant. My experience started with a Skywalker then ended with two of them. Just be glad that I accepted to assist you in training your own children after training you."

"Here they go" Leia whispered to Luke and Ezra from her seat beside her brother. The boys nodded knowing that the morning battle between Anakin's cocky attitude and Obi-Wan's reluctance to compliment had begun.

Ezra leaned onto the table to speak to the two girls and Luke, "you didn't think today would be any different do you?"

"Why would it?" Luke asked then turned to his left and squinted his eyes in interest. Ezra followed his gaze and saw their red-haired friend staring blankly across the room. "Mara, you alright?"

She didn't respond to the question, choosing instead to retain her stare. Luke spared a worried look to Ezra. Reaching out in the Force Ezra touched Mara's presence and sensed the girl's fear. Confused, he used the connection they created years ago on the _Ghost_ when he warned her about fighting in wars. Again, there was no response only traces of fear.

Now concerned, Leia rested a hand on Mara's shoulder then shook her slightly while the adults focused on the argument between the two Jedi masters. "Mara, what's the matter?"

Green eyes snapped to attention though her head didn't move at all. Out of the corner of her mouth Mara spoke to them smoothly, but with unease "I had a dream…maybe a vision."

Like that Ezra's good mood left him and the memories of that morning returned. "What kind of vision, Mara?" he questioned quickly.

Turning to her old teacher and honing her gaze on him Mara said, "I found myself in a place I had never been before. Brick buildings were surrounding me, burnt bodies were on the ground. The worst part of it however – "

"A shadow" Ezra finished for her and the teenager's emerald green eyes locked onto his. Chills went up his spine when the normally stoic, snarky girl showed nothing but untamed panic. "You saw a shadow or – or a silhouette, right?"

"Yes" she whispered.

Luke exchanged glances with both of them as well as his sister. "Guys, what vision?"

The doors burst open as the droid began to serve breakfast to the group. Plates were distributed amongst the group and conversation still flowed between the adults at the table. It wasn't unusual for them to speak with one another while their children lost themselves in their own world. Unfortunately or fortunately they didn't notice the tense air hanging around the kids.

"Did you feel it? The dark energy hanging over it?" Ezra asked her while completely encapsulated by the fact that Mara had seen the same vision.

"It suffocated me when I awoke."

"The voices?"

"Indecipherable" Mara whispered, "but I heard them."

" _Mara, Ezra_ " Luke called to them firmly. "What is this vision?"

"You're worrying us, both of you. Let us in on this" Leia added.

Through their connection Ezra felt Mara's apprehension at the Skywalker's request. He understood her worry since he shared them himself. They didn't know what it meant, it could be a warning or a scene of the past. The vision may help them, but there was much that the two simply did not know. No matter what they believed it meant, there was not doubt that the vision had meaning.

"It could be nothing" Ezra told them while still looking at the shaken Mara. "We don't know anything about it, so for now don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?" Leia asked him in a harsh whisper. "Surely, you're not serious."

"I am. Until we figure more out about it then there isn't anything we can do. When one of us learns more we can go from there, but for now let's just keep this in our minds."

Leia looked incredulously at him then Mara, finally sat back in her seat shaking her head. Her brother however had one more thing to say, "you both must understand the importance of this event. I don't need to remind you about father's visions and the weight that had. We'll respect your wishes to keep this to the four of us as of this moment, but if you two experience another one and don't wish to tell Obi-Wan or our father then one of us will step in."

A minute passed with Luke's eyes boring into him and Ezra relented much to his best male friend's relief. He ate his food for the rest of the morning in silence hoping that there wouldn't be another vision.

. . .

After breakfast the group moved towards the Jedi Temple, and while the children tried their best to put their conversation to the back of their mind it wasn't possible. Ezra sat in the back of his family's speeder unable to forget even though that was all he wanted to do. The panic in Mara's eyes, he felt that earlier that day. Ezra couldn't help wondering why they had the same vision or if their connection had anything to do with it.

Friends they may be, but there wasn't much else they had in common. She had parents, he had been a Jedi for three more years, he'd fought Sith Lords, and she hadn't known about her Force abilities until her parents revealed them. Perhaps their connection showed Mara his visions or vice versa. Thinking that they simply shared a meaningful experience filled him with dread. While he stood on the landing platform looking off into the sky Ezra thought about nothing else.

Minutes later he would be on his way to Mandalore and his support would be staying on Coruscant to work through the mess of problems that came to them. Obi-Wan was going to be great company to him, Ezra knew that; the great Jedi had vast wells of knowledge that he hoped he'd learn one day, but it did nothing to soothe his worries mind.

Pressure on his forearm brought him out of his thoughts and he looked to his left to see Luke's silhouette in the shadows of the buildings around the platform. Wind tossed their hair around them, and when it settled Ezra noticed Luke's calm demeanor – a look Padmé wore constantly.

Ezra allowed a deep exhale to leave his nostrils. "You can sense it can't you?"

"Your unease? Yes."

"It's more than that, Luke. There's something more to this than just being a shared vision." Ezra looked out into the speeder lanes that crossed in front of them and watched the sunlight gleam off of the metal and windows of the towers that surrounded them. "I've had them before, but this one…it felt darker than any of those."

"Don't let it bother you too much my friend. Like you said, until you know more we can't do much about it. The vision you both saw had little focus apart from a shadow that was devoid of detail. What more can you go off of?"

"Nothing" Ezra admitted.

"I'm not saying ignore it – that's the last thing you should do. All I'm telling you to do is put it in the back of your mind for now. If more comes then you must speak to father or Obi-Wan."

"It will be the first thing I do." A few minutes passed with only the wind making sound. "You know, it's no wonder you're the heir apparent to become Grand Master."

Luke quirked an eyebrow and spared him a look before running his hand through his hair. "Yes, well I have much to learn before then."

"Ezra, time to go my young friend" Obi-Wan called to them.

Taking one final look at the Coruscant skyline he turned around to see his family and friends talking among themselves at the ramp of their repurposed Lambda-class shuttle – detailed with the maroon insignia of the New Republic and the Jedi of course. Stepping toward them Ezra felt the familiar soft anxiousness that always came before missions. With his steps came pieces of conversation that didn't concern him or his interest. They looked happy with one another: Anakin and Padmé talking to one another, Hera and Kanan, Baysa and Mara, they all looked content. Except for one.

Sitting on a crate alone facing away from the rest of the group was Leia. Ezra eyed her as her shoulders rose then fell heavily after a deep breath. He walked past the group, hands folded into his white sleeves then knelt next to his first friend outside of Phoenix Squadron.

"Everything alright?"

Leia's brown eyes looked at him briefly, but she never moved. Her chin rested in her hand in a show of her disinterest with the things around her. "In a way" she told him simply.

"That's a little cryptic don't you think?"

"Perhaps" Leia told him without any sense of humor.

"C'mon, you're never this secretive from me."

Turning to look Ezra in the eye Leia searched momentarily before telling him, "there's not enough time, you have to leave."

"True" Ezra admitted, "but I can make time for you. How many times have you done the same for me?"

To his joy Leia's expression brightened just slightly. "A few. Don't concern yourself too much with me. I'll be alright, but if I'm not then I'll tell you when you contact me – which you better do no matter what."

"Yes, I'll make sure I do that, because if I don't I know you'll be coming to Mandalore."

In a whisper Leia added, "may do that anyway."

"Ezra?" Hera's voice called out to him.

"Coming!" he shouted back. Ezra stood up but kept his gaze down at his friend to whom he held out a hand. "Are you going to just say goodbye or are you going to show it?"

"Alright" Leia relented after a moment. Her chestnut brown hair caught in the breeze and her cloak twisted behind her body. Ezra stepped forward with open arms to embrace her tightly which Leia returned gladly. In his ear Leia said, "be safe."

"Always." Then too soon he let go of her. Disappointment showed in her eyes, but Leia hid it well and walked with him over to the rest of the group.

First to step forward was his padawan who held his usual playfully arrogant expression. On the outside the Zabrak looked full of himself, however over time Ezra found out there was much more to the teenager than meets the eye.

"If you need another hand then I'll be ready for the call" Baysa told him.

"I have no doubt about that. This could be a simple task, you never know."

"Nothing's ever simple, master. We both know that much." The yellow skinned-black tattooed Zabrak held out his hand which Ezra shook cordially. "May the Force be with you, my friend."

"And with you" Ezra said back to him. "I expect great things when I return."

Next came Mara who rid herself of the worried expression she had on earlier. After training the feisty red-head alongside Obi-Wan he knew that there were emotions Mara was hiding from the rest of them. The girl despised looking weak even if others knew it was there. Irritating as it was, Ezra understood where she came from.

"Don't worry too much about me" Ezra said lightening the mood. "You know I'll be able to handle anything."

"Yeah, well don't think that yourself incapable of starting a galactic incident that the Republic has to solve. That's not something I'd put past you."

"If I do then I know you'll be the last I call."

"Good, because I don't waste my time on anything diplomatic. It's no fun."

"I'll see you soon, Mara."

"Yeah" she said smirking, "you have no other options."

Before Ezra could even turn to his right he felt Hera's arms wrap tightly around him. Words weren't necessary for the pair to show their care for one another. All of Hera's concerns were felt by Ezra and in return he sent her the thankfulness he had for her choice to be his mother. Soon they were going to be together, but for now they had to be apart. Duty called and Hera taught him that there was very little more important than that.

"You will come back _unharmed_ , is that clear?"

Though the situation was serious Ezra found himself smiling into her shoulder. "No promises. I'll try my best though."

She pulled out of the embrace then stares at him intensely. "I will hear from you every night. No matter what happens during the day I expect to see you and hear from you."

"I was planning on that anyway."

"Alright" Hera relented then gave him a watery smile. "Be safe."

"I will, and I'll see you soon, mom."

. . .

 _Mandalore_

Sabine's foot tapped relentlessly, her palms sweat, and her mouth felt dry. The light of day began to dim with every passing minute as night approached them quickly. Ursa had taken Sabine straight to the landing platform outside of Bo-Katan's personal home after a dinner between the two women. Discussion on the Jedi and the bombings flowed like water in a stream, but she paid little attention to that. Her focused remained on the distinct possibility of Ezra coming to Mandalore.

Beside her on the platform stood only her mother and the head of House Kryze. They thought it best to keep the welcoming committee small in order to avoid any unpleasant confrontations between the members of their own clan and house. It was already going to be complicated enough with her there.

The peach colored sky spanned the entire horizon around the buildings of Mandalore, and Sabine tried to lose herself in it. It was much easier to enjoy the sky than the dark thoughts that plagued her mind. Even the buildings provided refuge from the emotions she wanted to ignore and forget.

"You seem tense, my daughter."

"Not very difficult to see" Sabine replied.

Ursa quirked an eyebrow to her daughter and folded her arms over the armor she wore. "Relax. We need you at your best during this endeavor. Very few have your weapons expertise and being distracted is not going to help us."

Sighing, Sabine said defeatedly, "I understand."

"Good, because the ship is on the horizon."

Snapping her eyes off of the buildings Sabine sought out the outline of the maroon and white New Republic shuttle heading straight for them. Unfortunately, her mother wasn't lying or mistaken.

Bubbles in her stomach and the shaking in her legs were symptoms of Sabine's anxiety. Her eyes watched the ship approach without waiver. Sabine hoped that it wouldn't hold Ezra, she wished he didn't come to face her. Three years wasn't enough time to come to terms with it. It wasn't enough time to overcome the fact that she pushed away a gift she didn't know she wanted until it was far too late. Three years didn't give Sabine the time to understand how badly Ezra hurt.

Sabine's sleepless nights were filled with reproach. Midnight onward when sleep evaded her Sabine thought about her choices and her addiction. In a matter of days the people she cared most for were sent away and she pushed them out of her life. To add more insult to injury she willingly and knowingly used Ezra's affection against him…even knowing it was what part of her longed for and wanted.

Air whipped around the three women as the shuttle landed several years from them. Sabine's hands began to shake and her throat felt dry as the landing cycle quieted down. Numbness crept up her feet to her waist then stopped at her hands. Nothing mattered but the Jedi who would come down the ramp.

Sabine's heart hammered in her chest and she thought the heat and pressure inside of the armor had the Mandalorian wondering if she'd pass out. The ramp lowered onto the metal platform agonizingly slow then two robed figures slowly walked to them.

Sabine sucked in a breath, her heart hammered almost audibly, and her knees quaked as she recognized his eyes. Despite the change in appearance those eyes would never change.

"Welcome Master Kenobi" Bo-Katan welcomed during her approach to their guests. "It's been some time."

"Indeed it has. I'm most humbled by your request for myself and my young friend here."

Bo-Katan studied the younger Jedi whose dark purple beard and long hair disguised him, but the head of House Kryze nodded her head in recognition. "May I welcome you as well, Master Bridger."


	6. Chapter 6

Ezra walked forward until he was within arm's length of Bo-Katan and then bowed his head in respect. "Thank you, Bo-Katan. I appreciate the great importance of this ordeal you've been dealing with, and it's reciprocated by us as well. We're here to assist in any way we can."

"For that, we thank you" Bo-Katan replied. She moved to the side then motioned for the two Jedi to follow closely. They began to walk towards the Mandalorian with the Wren women hanging back slightly, but Bo didn't notice and continued to talk. "This is a very sensitive issue as I'm sure you've both guessed. We'd appreciate it if you both kept this away from other Mandalorians and only spoke to us directly."

"We would do nothing else" Obi-Wan replied cordially. "I don't wish to start a larger quarrel with you and the other houses. Like my young friend said, we're at your service."

Ezra simply listened to the conversation taking place. He chose not to engage because it wasn't his place and he didn't want to give Bo-Katan any indication of his inner irate feeling. The moment he saw _Her_ he felt it growing within him. It felt like a trap seeing her there on the landing pad waiting for him with Ursa. The only good part about it were the raging feelings of shyness, distress, and displeasure within her. Less positive feelings meant less time around her, and less opportunity to speak with each other.

He placed his hands behind his back to act collected in front of the others. To further push off any possible concern from Obi-Wan he made a show of looking around at the unique architecture around them. It truly was beautiful and if he could return without worrying about possible attacks on Jedi then he'd certainly pounce on the chance. Ezra continued to keep his eyes focused on the buildings even when they began to enter the light-blue speeder parked at the end of their levitating platform.

"Master Bridger" Ursa said taking his attention off of the scenery around them. Turning around to face the elder woman Ezra noticed her looking at him intently. No doubt she knew about what happened – not that he really cared why or how her daughter returned home – which may be why she studied him like a schoolbook. "It's been quite some time since I've last seen you. It's a pleasure to see that you're doing so well. How have you been?"

Outwardly, he looked happy, even giving Ursa a smile, but he knew better. The woman asked a question that her daughter wanted to ask. Out of his peripheral vision he watched _Her_ look to Ursa then look at the buildings that whisked by the speeder as it flew. Ezra would have appreciated the ride much more if he hadn't been stuck in the back seats facing the two Wren women while Obi-Wan rode shotgun. However, this was a business trip and he had been trained well enough to take part in activities he didn't enjoy.

"I've been very well all things considered. Cleaning up the Imperial Remnant hasn't been an easy task for us and neither have the other missions people have for us. It's part of the job description, I guess. I've recently taken on a student who seems to take up most of my free time."

"Things sound like they're going very well for you" Ursa noted.

He shrugged. "Like to think so." That was close to a lie. They didn't have to know that, he didn't want or need their pity or concern. A hush came over them and it made Ezra feel uncomfortable. The elephant in the room made things plenty worse, but he refused to cave in – that was the very last thing he wanted to do. Instead, he followed up the pause with a question of his own, "how have things been with you? Even from here it seems like Mandalore is much more…settled."

"Looks are deceiving. While things seem 'settled' out here once you take a closer look at the planet its faults are obvious. That's taken all of my time that isn't dedicated to my family."

"Family is the most important thing" Ezra agreed. Ursa tilted her head and he realized that there could be another meaning in regard to the Mandalorian's daughter. With wide eyes and upraised hands he explained, "I mean that I spend a lot of time with my family too. It's more of an adopted family at this point actually. Along with Hera, Zeb, and Kanan we've become really close with the other Jedi families."

"Ah, yes. The Skywalkers are one of those families, correct?"

Sabine tensed and felt shamed.

"They are" Ezra confirmed. "Master Skywalker is pretty famous throughout the galaxy. Maybe you've heard of him?"

"Who hasn't? The famous 'hero with no fear' if I'm not mistaken. The Jedi paraded him around throughout the Clone War. Now that he's led the Rebel Alliance's military effort against the Empire that reputation has only grown."

Ezra laughed to himself and said mostly to himself, "much to Padmé's annoyance."

"Ezra" Obi-Wan began to say over his shoulder "we're going to be dropped off at the apartment where we'll be staying. I suggest you rest up before we share dinner with our hostesses. Afterwards, we'll go over the evidence that's been found to analyze it and send our findings to Coruscant."

"Sounds good to me, Master Kenobi. I wouldn't mind a nap right about now, I do feel pretty tired."

Another silence fell over the group, but this time nobody broke it. Ursa chose to look straight ahead out the open end of the speeder, Ezra sat across from her choosing to study the buildings once again, and Sabine chewed her lip while she looked out her window. There was plenty she wanted to say, but it all remained in her brain. Words weren't enough, and that wasn't the right time. The awkward silence felt wrong in so many ways. In her mind it was deserved; there wasn't anyone to blame but herself.

The speeder ducked in and out of traffic at a relaxed pace until they approached another empty landing pad. For a split second Sabine nearly said something except she didn't know what to say or how to feel. She dared to look at Ezra who gathered himself, hopped out of the speeder once it landed, then wished Bo-Katan and Ursa well. They'd see him later, but the fact that things wouldn't be any different made the young woman feel slightly miserable.

Ursa looked to her daughter when the speeder took off for their own second home off of Krownest. "How do you feel?"

"Not well" Sabine replied glumly.

"Self-pity is useless unless you do something about it, Sabine."

"Well what am I supposed to do with it? Ezra didn't spare me so much as a look. He seems happy and the others sound like it too. I doubt that anything will change just because they know where I am."

"With an attitude like that I would agree. Being around you may change that. It's plain to see that you're changed and healthy now. I'm sure they find the past as detestable as you do, but that will change most likely. Give it time, he isn't going to change over night. Patience is key, daughter."

"It's just difficult. To be honest, I didn't want to see him."

"Those feelings may be reciprocated, but maybe that's for the better. Over anticipation leads to rash results. Rewards come to those who wait."

. . .

As the speeder pulled away from Ezra and Obi-Wan's apartment the older man looked down to his young friend. He stroked his beard thoughtfully, regarding the situation they found themselves in. Expecting the unexpected got one so far and neither of them seemed to have accounted for Sabine's presence. Eventually, Ezra turned around to face the Grand Master curiously. It didn't take too long until the young man realized what had Obi-Wan perplexed.

"I'm fine, Master Kenobi" Ezra told him comfortably. "It's not completely surprising honestly."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I spoke with Mara about it before we left, so I'm prepared for it. We didn't expect it, but it seemed like a possibility" he replied to Obi-Wan with a shrug.

Obi-Wan felt satisfied with Ezra's maturity, but didn't feel like the subject was over. He swung his arm out and led them both over to the sofa that sat in one of the living room's corners. He glanced around the room to look at the blank walls, windows, and the few pieces of furniture that had been supplied to them. Finally, he ignored the multiple shades of blue and looked back to Ezra.

"Something wrong?" Ezra questioned.

"No, nothing like that, but I'm curious how you've come to think like that. I know that dealing with emotional trauma is never easy. Are those feelings that you've had for Sabine still there below the surface or have you learned to dealt with them?"

"I've…learned to deal with them because they're not really there. After what she did they kind of disappeared. While it does still hurt I've just moved on for the most part. They'll mostly serve as a distraction right now, so I'm going to ignore that and her unless I have to do otherwise."

"And you're positive about that?'

Ezra faintly smiled and said, "of course. I'm good for now."

"In that case" Obi-Wan told him while leaning into the cushions of the sofa, "you may wish to contact Hera. I'm sure she's been missing you and would like to know about that."

"It'll probably be the same conversation as this one, but I agree. After I'll take a nap before we leave for dinner" the younger Jedi replied getting off of the furniture. Obi-Wan simply nodded and Ezra made the short walk to his room. Walking past the door and into the room he readied himself to call his mother. "This should be interesting."

. . .

 _"Ezra Bridger." Ezra opened his eyes and found himself laying on soft grass with the stars shining above him. Waves on a small lake crashed upon the grassy shoreline, but over that sound he heard a gravely voice call to him once more, "Ezra Bridger, awaken and see."_

 _"See what?" he called back into the dark, forested area around the lake._

 _Flames burst around him lighting the treetops on fire. He protected his face with his arm to shield his face from the extreme heat around him. All around Ezra were fires that seemed to grow in strength, and almost out of control. Embers from the closest trees that were only feet away licked at his heels then caught the dry, Jedi robes and set them alight. His skin seared, blistered, and tore. Panicking, Ezra jumped into the cool waters that were below._

 _Waters washed over him bringing some relief. It subsided when the graveling voice spoke in his head, "the world around you is like those trees – it's ready to light. Mandalore is a tinderbox. The clans war against one another, they clamor for war against one another. You can cure their sickness, think about it, because if you do not…"_

 _The water drained, and Ezra swam to the surface. When he gasped for breath he choked on smoke that swirled around him. Gone were the trees that had encircled the lake and in their place were crumbling buildings that were cloaked in a blanket of fire. The sky glowed as fires ravaged the planet's surface._

 _"It's preventable" the voice told him. "You and your apprentice have the chance to secure peace. Prepare yourself for that outcome…or this is the consequence."_

Ezra woke with a start. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and kicked off the blankets from his warm body. Air couldn't come fast enough to his lungs and when he reached for his commlink Ezra began to wheeze. The glass of water beside his bed was downed, settling his nerves slightly. Without another thought he dialed Mara and waited until the line opened up to feel some relief.

"Mara" Ezra greeted worriedly once he saw her blank expression. "I had another vision."

She stayed silent and merely studied him. The unease in her expression caused him worry, and it increased when Mara whispered, "I know."

He eyed his former student with concern, "did you have it too?"

"In a way…I heard a voice speaking to me while meditating. He told me things."

"About the Mandalorians?"

"Yeah" Mara confirmed, "and how we could prevent it. Have you told Obi-Wan yet?"

"No, I haven't. I contacted you as soon as I woke up from my sleep." Ezra put his chin in the palm of his hand. Thoughts ran through his head about telling the Grand Master and how he may be pulled off of the mission. If that happened it wouldn't help him or help keep Hera's mind form worrying about him, but Obi-Wan had to know. Keeping that information to himself helped no one.

"You should" Mara told him. "I'm going to tell Anakin, they have to know about this. One dream may be a coincidence, but two _shared_ dreams or visions or whatever you want to call them, that's real."

"It is real, Mara. Nothing can be done about these dreams for now though. Keep that in mind and don't panic just yet."

"Right. Don't tell Luke, Leia, or the padawans either. It has nothing to do with them, and their worrying is only going to make things more difficult." Mara looked at his hologram intently then tilted her head to the side like a dog. Concern turned to anger and Ezra watched the transformation take place. Their group had an inside joke about her erratic emotions being out of control, but none of them could deny that Mara felt deeply about everything. If the issue pertained to her alone then it wasn't much of a problem, but anytime it had to do with her friends then hell had the potential to erupt. He had a feeling that Mara could tell who he'd run into.

"Mara" he tried to say.

"She's there isn't she?" He didn't deny it and Mara squinted her eyes in disgust. "Did you ignore her like we planned?"

"I did. She said nothing to me and didn't even look at me. I think I felt regret coming off her in the Force."

"Good! Doesn't mean that she's better than garbage, but that's still a step up from where she was, I'll give her that. Don't you dare cave though."

Ezra laughed a little at her over protectiveness. "I wouldn't dream of it, not with your temperament and wrath."

"You'd do your best to remember that, _Master_ " she told him with a smirk. "I've got to go. If I'm going to speak to Anakin before training I should do it now."

"Yeah, I should go too." May the Force be with you, Mara."

"May the Force be with you, Ezra."

After closing down the device Ezra stood from the bed and stretched his stiff limbs. He began to grab his outermost robes from the dresser when strong vibrations caused him to stumbled back to the bed. Waves of vibrations rattled the glass in Ezra's bedroom and the floor groaned underneath the stress placed upon them. He began to stand again but the glass windows beside him shattered and an explosive roar flooded the room.

The room began to tilt downwards towards the ground and Ezra felt himself slipping off of his mattress towards the gaping hole in the wall. As strong as he could Ezra grabbed onto the bed with his prosthetic then looked outside. His eyes grew wide when he saw the building beside them standing firm, but the floor continued to fall beneath him.

HIs bed continued to slide and he frantically looked for something to grab onto. Realizing there was little hope he released his clothing, called his lightsaber to his outstretched palm, and braced himself when the bed cleared the distance and began to free fall out of the window.

Wind deafened Ezra as he hurtled towards the ground below. He squinted his eyes and tightened his grip around the weapon in his right hand. Using all of his strength Ezra pushed himself to his knees and watched the ground approach him. Despite being hundreds of stories above the planet's surface it wasn't going to be long until it killed him. Ezra called upon the Force to supplant his legs then leapt towards the neighboring building. Debris fell around Ezra, colliding with his body while he inched closer to safety. His finger ignited the emerald blade of his newest lightsaber, slashed the glass open with a quick movement, and he rolled hard into newest room. Control of his movements slipped away causing the young Jedi to slide into one of the small room's walls knocking him unconscious.

In the darkness, Ezra heard the same words repeated to him, "Secure peace or prepare for the consequences."


	7. Chapter 7

The past hour had been nothing but a blur to her. Sabine, her mother, and Bo-Katan had just been preparing for their meeting with the Jedi when one of Bo's guards rushed into the room stuttering. His words fell out in a mumbled, jumbled mess that none of the women understood. When he held the red-head's eyes Sabine knew something wasn't right. However, the words that fell from his lips were far worse than anything she'd expected.

"There's been another attack" he said again. "It's in the city."

"Where?" Ursa questioned him exasperatedly.

His Adam's apple bobbed with an uncertain swallow that unsettled Sabine further. "The guest suites."

Gravity felt like it intensified around her. Her body felt like it had been pulled towards the core of Mandalore with the weight of anxiety. Nothing else mattered to her than finding Ezra and making sure he wasn't hurt.

Now, looking at the scene in front of her, she realizes how foolish and hopeful that sentiment had been. The building that the Jedi had been dropped off in only hours before had black haze billowing from several different levels. Glass littered the ground at her feet and lay scattered all about the street at the entrance of the building. The part that had her knees shaking and that brought her hands to her mouth though was the fact that the building leaned against its neighbor. It doesn't take an architect to realize that the foundations may give at any moment and both buildings may come careening to the surface in a maelstrom of death.

Mandalorians had been there before the women ever left their vehicle, but now Sabine noticed there seemed to be more swarming around them. Others brought cameras with them to broadcast the crisis while others looked like they're caught up in the drama of it all. No matter where she looked she can't find the one person that truly matters to her, and that terrified her more than words can say.

"I don't see Master Kenobi or Master Bridger" her mother said from her left.

Bo-Katan only increased the nervous feeling in her stomach when she confirmed the statement. "Nor I" she said matter-of-factly.

"Perhaps they're still inside."

"There's only one way to find out" the leader of House Kryze told them. Her gloved hand fiddled with the jetpack that hung on her back until she became satisfied with the adjustments. Her eyes turned towards Ursa who simply nodded in return. Without any further hesitation the red-head tore off into the skies above them.

She didn't realize it, but in her mind, Sabine had been rehearsing scripture. It hadn't been common for her at all during her days with the Rebellion – back then it seemed hardly necessary to believe in any higher power that could have any input on destiny – but now she couldn't help it. Every God or Goddess that came to mind, she began asking to keep him safe. No matter what they felt about one another she couldn't lose him permanently. Having him alive at a distance was acceptable, but knowing that he is no longer alive is a pain that Sabine never wishes to know again.

"Sabine?"

Whipping her head to the side brought Sabine face to face with her mother. The older woman held some concern though it didn't compare to the worry inside her own chest. In as confident a voice as she could muster, she asked, "yes?"

"Are you praying?"

How Ursa knew about her innermost thoughts Sabine couldn't begin to guess. Without any hint of remorse or embarrassment she nodded in response.

"As am I, my daughter. As am I."

Without any hesitation, Ursa reached over and covered Sabine's hands with her own. In the simple gesture the younger woman found some resemblance of comfort. She never had a chance to spiral out of control because of the dreadful thoughts that came to mind. The contact kept her anchored in the presence beside her mother. Sabine wasn't in the ordeal alone, and if anyone knew how she felt it was Ursa.

"There are few people in this galaxy as stubborn as Ezra Bridger" Ursa told Sabine while looking back up at the leaning buildings. "It will take nothing short of the rapture to take that boy away from us. Compared to what you've all faced before, a bomb is nothing."

A weak smile crept upon Sabine's lips although she felt nothing close to joy or satisfaction. "I suppose."

"Suppose? Daughter, he has trained under 'the Chosen One' and the great 'Negotiator'. Before that he trained under another fine Jedi and honed his skills in the heat of battle. I have faith in his abilities as should you." Ursa ghosted a smile before running her thumb over her daughter's trembling hand. "Besides, there is still unfinished business between you both."

"Mother" Sabine started to tell her with a sad stare, "there is no unfinished business. He didn't come here for a social visit with us. Once they find us answers for us he'll leave again."

"Unless he has a reason to stay." A heavy minute passed between them before Ursa exhaled loudly and looked back to the scene in front of them. "We simply have to find the boy first."

. . .

A loud metallic grown awoke Ezra. Memories flashed in his brain of the actions he had taken to save his life and of the dreams he had that came before the hotel began to collapse. At once he moved to his feet and heard the glass crunch beneath his boots. For a second, he swayed as his vision blurred. Ezra braced himself against the empty room's wall then placed one foot in front of the other. The process was repeated until he found himself in a larger living area.

Like the room before it, the living area was devoid of any furniture or people. It simply lay dormant without any sort of fanfare or fancy introduction. It was probably for the best seeing as to how any Mandalorians would not take kindly to an intrusion by a Jedi. Before moving further into the living area Ezra looked back into the first room in case he missed anything; a wave of relief washed over him when he saw his lightsaber laying on the floor on top of debris. With his outstretched prosthetic he called the weapon to his hand then placed it on his belt.

On unsteady, hurting legs he began to walk further towards the lift on the far side of the room. The call button proved unresponsive to him and the situation began to continuously feel worse. He reached into one of the pouches on his belt to remove one of the commlinks he'd been told to carry around for emergencies.

Ezra entered in the frequency of Obi-Wan's own device then spoke, "Master Kenobi?"

No response.

"Master Kenobi, are you alright? Can you hear me?"

No response.

"Awesome" Ezra commented aloud. He tried to enter in another emergency frequency for Jedi, but once again, no one responded to his S.O.S. For the first time on a Jedi mission, Ezra found himself completely alone.

With a deep breath the Jedi realized there were few options for him. Either he could try waiting for help, risk going down the elevator shaft, or try to hop to the other building. Judging by the soreness already rising in his ankles and calves the last one wasn't an option. Moreover, nobody even knew where he was, so that limited his choices.

"Well, I recall Anakin telling me he did journey down an elevator shaft once" he told himself for reassurance. A flick of the switch brought the lightsaber to life and he began to cut through the elevator's closed doors. The metal doors began to heat until they turned into a bright orange that surrounded the blade. With as much strength as his weakened arms could muster Ezra cut down the doors which feel into the shaft below.

"Of course, when Anakin did this it was on a ship that was horizontal."

Ezra glanced up the dark abyss then down as he measured up the strength of the cable. He plucked the cable which barely moved under his gesture. Finally, after dropping glow sticks down the never-ending shaft he gathered enough courage to place both of his hands on the rope.

There wasn't anyway that this wouldn't rip through his skin or leave him without pain. Even after he removed his shirt and wrapped it around his hand Ezra had no doubt that he'd be visiting a medic as soon as he finished his descent. Hesitation seemed natural and was understandable, until the foundations beneath the building released a groan that brought fear to the forefront of Ezra's mind.

As he began to slide down the cable he felt the friction through his cloth-covered hand. Ezra closed his eyes to ignore the sight of the blur of floors which could make him nauseous. Even though he controlled his descent as much as he could, he knew that his body moved far too fast. Without any further control he may very well be dead once he hit the elevator.

"Come on" he said through clenched teeth as he tried to slow himself with the force. Tightening his legs and hands would only result in incredible pain that may end up with a lost grip. If all else failed, there wasn't another option, so he put all of his effort into slowing.

"Come on!" he yelled to no one in particular. "Not like this. Don't go out like this."

Ezra could smell burnt fabric and burnt metal. The fabric that formed a barrier between his legs and the cable began to feel thin and warm. He was going down too fast to control, leaving him without much choice. Although he continued to use the Force, Ezra clamped his legs tightly around the cable.

Roaring, searing sensations rippled up his calves and thighs as the fabric of his pants frayed under the friction. His cries echoed though the elevator shaft. Curses flew out with every single breath, somewhat alleviating the hurt, but not enough to make a difference.

The cable did begin to come slower much to his mental relief. The sound no longer sounded like an endless zipper being pulled, and when his body hit the top of the elevator it didn't exist entirely.

Ezra gasped for air that escaped his body far too fast after the collision. His lungs felt heavy, his legs burned, and thoughts running over his brain ceased. All he could do was sit there, staring into the endless abyss, trying to regain his breath. Alive he may be, but he knew that all was not well. A medic would be necessary of course; however, that wasn't what frightened him most.

As he lay still, the ground beneath him began to rumble ominously. It grew continuously louder, and the groans and moans from the building he was in told him that the ordeal hadn't finished. Small pebbles began to fall around his stretched limbs as did pieces of concrete that lined the walls. It wouldn't be long until more joined them.

With an unsteady hand, Ezra reached for his lightsaber and ignited the blade once more. Carefully, he rolled onto his stomach to begin cutting as small a hole as necessary. The warnings from the building never stopped, only serving to speed up his action. The second the cutting fell into the elevator he slipped inside and buried himself in the far corner.

Ezra watched as rubble and debris found their way into his hole. Judging by the sound of the raining material on the roof he didn't think it would be long until the entire building collapsed.

He ignored the lack of comfortability in his body in order to bring his focus to the situation at hand. In as calm a state as he could muster, Ezra called the Force to surround the elevator car. Like a magnet, it came to him, protecting as best it could from the inevitable onslaught of chaos. Whether or not it would work, he couldn't be certain, but he had to try. Death wouldn't claim him so easily – not this time. There was so much more to do and a simple building couldn't take that away.

Death and danger didn't frighten him; somehow, he knew that he'd make it out alive. It wasn't his time to leave the galaxy and join the Force. His determination along with…something else gave him reassurance that he'd see daylight again. He'd be able to see his family again and that did scare him somewhat, because that meant telling Mara, Leia…and Hera.

Perhaps he should welcome the debris. After learning about that there wasn't a way in hell they'd let him leave again.


	8. Chapter 8

Life had changed so much for her in the years following the downfall of the Empire. Everything she had come to know during her time as the Empire's second-in-command had been lost in a matter of hours. However, she didn't fight it and she didn't feel any regret. As she handed over her information to Mon Mothma and Padmé there wasn't anything except relief.

The weight and burden of being a Sith left, leaving Ahsoka with room for something new, something she thought she'd lost. Gone was the shadow of Emperor Palpatine and, in its place, the family she'd fought so hard for. While her life had been full of hardship Ahsoka couldn't bring herself to regret any of it. Not when it gave her such a treasure.

Of course, there are still inner demons that she fights everyday of her life. The temptations of the dark side call to her, pleading for her to drown in it. Each time she hears Leia, Luke, Padmé, and Anakin recount their stories she feels its beckoning. It tells her to hunt down the perpetrators and maim them viciously. Those beings deserve to die. They dare to cross the four she loves most? If they stood before her Ahsoka couldn't say that she wouldn't destroy them.

In those moments of darkness, she was never alone. Most of the time it's Anakin who's with her, taking care of her anyway he can. When her fists clench and when the dark side calls, it's him who asks her to talk about it. Usually, minutes pass by until he can coax the problem out of her, but when he does they just talk about it. Ahsoka doesn't have to internalize it or feel ashamed for having a momentary relapse. Anakin just listens and talks to her until the temptation recedes back into the abyss it came from.

Right then she wished he could help her.

The temptations rarely come during the day. She didn't think enough or wasn't alone enough for them to happen – that last bit had been by her own design. Now though, she heard the silky sweet voice whispering to her. At the moment they didn't say much, it always started out that way. They'd grow though, and they'd become deafening if someone didn't come around to hear her or distract her.

Her fingers dug into the soft material of the couch. Ahsoka kept her eyes looking out of the apartment she shared with Anakin and Padmé, she prayed that someone felt the distress and would come home. They weren't her babysitters – they'd made that very clear, and she could come and go as she pleased. The problem was that she didn't trust herself enough to go anywhere alone. People recognized her and she could only guess what their reactions would be if they saw her again.

Yeah, Anakin and Padmé took responsibility for her, but they couldn't protect her in public. They'd spoken for her at the trial held for her then made sure that the galaxy knew the lengths of Palpatine's manipulations. According to Mon Mothma, she'd barely escaped the death penalty and prison time. The only reason she had been able to remain 'free' was because of her relentless contributions to the Rebel Alliance.

Still didn't mean Ahsoka wanted to walk around among the people whose lives she made hell though. That meant she had to stay alone wallowing.

"Breathe, just breathe" she told herself. Her fingers automatically clenched against the couch, but she continued to talk to herself. "Think. Learn something from this."

"Can you hear me? _"_

Ahsoka's eyes closed at once. Along with the deceptively sweet voice in her head she felt the calling of the dark side. The voice brought feelings of deep, pure hatred up from within the recesses of her brain. She knew it as well as the sound of her voice. How could she have forgotten?"

"Ah, yes. You can, can't you? After all this time in your solitude you haven't forgotten that, despite forgetting about me."

No response came from Ahsoka's end. She only continued to fend off the hate by thinking of anything else.

"I must admit, that is disappointing. Even after the years you spent hunting me like an animal you've still forgotten. No matter. As of right now that has changed, hasn't it? I can _feel_ it coming back to you right at this very moment."

"Leave me, or you will regret this."

"Is this truly how pathetic you've become? You beg me to leave you now when only years ago you'd have jumped at the chance to duel me like the Sith we both know you still are. Tell me, what has changed?"

Ahsoka couldn't bring herself to respond to him. The dark side sat at the very forefront of her mind. She tried so hard to push it back, but it didn't move at all. Being so close to it…it felt so enticing. If she tapped into it she'd be able to fight him again, she could win. Ahsoka could find him no matter where he was, and she could kill him.

"Yes, something has changed" he taunted, "there's a _stench_ that clings to your very presence; it reeks of the light. It's familiar to me. I've felt that before haven't I?"

Her blood ran cold and Ahsoka's thoughts stopped at once.

"Is that too close for comfort? Is it too much that I know about…Skywalker and his children, Lady Tano?"

There wasn't anymore resisting the temptation, and she gave in completely to the feeling. Her eyes practically glowed gold as she looked ahead at the couch opposite to her own. In the angriest voice she could muster she said, "if you come anywhere near this system I will cut you down."

"What would Skywalker think of that? What about his spawn? Perhaps they'd be too concerned about Kenobi's death to analyze your behavior."

She heard a ship land on their private landing pad and she cut off the connection as soon as possible. There was no helping it, Ahsoka embraced the dark side without any remorse. Anakin approached her, and she couldn't let it go no matter how badly he'd want her to.

"Ahsoka!" he shouted entering the apartment. He ran over to her, looking at her with concern that she hadn't seen in a long time. "Ahsoka, what's wrong?"

She couldn't answer him. Her eyes looked right through his body even though it clouded her entire field of vision. Nothing took her away from the conversation she'd had. The anger over the threat to her family had her seething in a way that she hadn't been since seeing the Emperor for the last time.

"Please, talk to me" Anakin asked while placing his prosthetic hand over hers. "I'm not mad at you, I just want to know what happened."

While looking through him she replied through gritted teeth, "there are things I haven't spoken of since you took me in. Now that they've come back I must tell you about at least one of them."

"Okay, okay, you can do anything you need to. Just relax for me, alright? I don't want you to lash out at anyone or anything. Do you promise that you can do that?"

"I can."

"Then explain to me what has you so angry."

Finally, Ahsoka turned her still golden gaze to Anakin's blue eyes. The overprotective feeling that boiled within her raised its head one more. "The Empire had a list of potential threats to hunt; they could be anyone, Jedi, politicians, Imperials themselves, and another one who fit none of those categories, Darth Maul."

"Maul?" Anakin asked her.

"After you, he was our first priority. The Emperor tasked myself to lead the Inquisitorious in finding him. Several times we engaged him, and each time I dueled him, harming him in the process. It became an obsession of mine, but we never delivered his destruction like we were supposed to.

"Eventually, our attention turned elsewhere as the conflict with the Rebels escalated. We lost track of Maul, and once I turned on the Empire I forgot about him until now. He taunts me with your deaths, Anakin. I will kill him before he gets the opportunity."

"You don't even know where he is right now. Take a minute to breathe with me, so we can think clearly. This is a pretty big development, but not one that's going to be solved at once."

"That's not true" she said firmly. He didn't get it, so she explained, "think about it. Who has Maul always wanted first? Who is his greatest target in this galaxy?"

Anakin's face grew grim with understanding. "Obi-Wan."

"Right. Maul is lost, Obi-Wan is not. He wants revenge on him, and me, Anakin. The best way to do that is lure is out of our hiding spots in order to kill us. What better way to do that than attack Mandalore? It's a place he knows we have connections to."

"Come with me" Anakin told her then rushed to his room.

"Where to?"

"We have to talk to Ezra and Obi-Wan about this."

"Ezra? The boy that Leia has feelings for?"

"Yes" Anakin told her as he came into the room wrapping his cloak around his shoulders. "They're both there to investigate the attacks. Let's just hope we aren't late."


End file.
